Mind Maps
by CheyWolfe
Summary: Septimal Moon is an institution for the mentally ill and such. Ritsuka's mother, distraught over the 'death' of Seimei, thinks he is mentally ill and sends him. There, Ritsuka meets up with Soubi, one of Seimei's 'friends'/coworker as a conspiracy unfolds
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**I  
**

Lost in thought, Yamato watched as her girlfriend played on the beach near the institution. Looking back at the blonde, Koya threw back her beautiful head and laughed out loud as the water washed up against her bare feet.

"Come in with me!" She yelled to Yamato. She held out her hand to her, clearly wanting her to come down from the grassy bluff that led to the beach.

Yamato smiled at her happy friend and headed towards her, looking back one last time at the sign she had been standing next to. The institution's name was printed in a curly, elegant looking black font. _Its probably supposed to appear friendly_, Yamato thought to herself. _But it doesn't hide what this place really is._

The full name of the institution was _Septimal Moon institution and school for the mentally disturbed, mentally challenged, physically crippled, criminally insane, juvenile corrections, and victims of abuse _but it was usually just written as Septimal Moon institution_. _The place was huge and full of all different kinds of teenagers like sex addicts, prostitutes, killers, crazy killers, physical abuse victims, druggies, cripples, and drug dealers. Then there were the sons and daughters of the staff there. It was a small group of kids. A small group of kids that contained Yamato.

Being in this group, Yamato got special privileges such as being able to leave the grounds, mix with all the students, and not have to go to any group meeting or therapy. The institution was truthfully a nice place. Yamato didn't mind it, as long as the insane kids didn't bother her. The school was quite normal, too. The severely mental kids were usually placed in another class and the extreme criminals were handcuffed to their seats, or just not in the class at all.

But, unlike a regular school, there were obvious reasons why some kids were shy, sad, or always angry. Victims of abuse were usually shy and wouldn't talk to anyone. Although this problem was partially cured by therapy they were still uncomfortable around people. Criminals or mentally sick people who were in denial were perpetually angry. It was always black or white; if you were a victim you were always shy. It wasn't stereotyping because it was true.

Yamato chased the thoughts away and focused on Koya. She was a rape victim who Yamato had been introduced to by her adoptive mother Nagisa. Nagisa had said the she would also be taking Koya in since, after being found guilty of child molestation and rape, Koya's father had killed her mother and then himself.

Victims also got some privileges, since they really couldn't do any harm. They could go off grounds and mix with most people (excluding the hardcore criminals). Soon after being introduced to her, Yamato had developed a relationship with shy Koya. She helped bring her out of her shell, so that she could get better. Koya was still fragile, but had come very far in the three years she'd been at the institution.

Grinning as she neared Koya, Yamato held out her fingers and the two joined hands. Koya laughed again as they closed the couple of steps between them and the water.

"God, Koya, you didn't tell me the water was cold!" Yamato exclaimed, feeling the cold-water rush against her skin. Koya just giggled and squeezed her hand. They proceeded until they were up to their knees.

"We better go back or our skirts will get wet," The black haired girl pointed out. The wind was whipping at their uniforms, almost dipping the bottom of their skirts into the water.

"Yes we should. I think a storm's coming soon anyways. Seven-san was talking about it," Yamato said. There were a board of head doctors and people who ran the school. Seven was on it and so was Nagisa as well as some others. The girls knew Seven well because she acted as their mother when Nagisa couldn't.

"I assume that's why the water levels are higher than normal, then. Any other new gossip going around that you've eavesdropped on?"

"I don't _eavesdrop_, Koya," Yamato faked pouted. "But I did hear Kio going on to Agatsuma-Sensei about some new student."

Agatsuma Soubi was the highest doctor in the entire school. Most of the doctors Yamato called by their first name except for him. He was the most highly respected and also the most odd.

Rumor had it that he had attended the school under circumstances much like Yamato's. The school's president, Ritsu-Sensei (who was still president), took him in after his parents died. Very few patients ever got sent to Agatsuma-Sensei. Only the sickest and worst did. Yamato had seen him a couple times in the employees building where she sometimes went with Seven or Nagisa. He was a tall man who supposedly only had one friend, a hyperactive doctor named Kio. He was often very blunt or sarcastic with Nagisa or Seven, and Nagisa often ranted about how much she hated him whenever she wasn't ranting about her disdain for Ritsu.

Agatsuma-Sensei had never spoken to Yamato, only just glanced at her very coldly. At times like those she would shy away from him, only imaging what kind of doctor he was.

"A new student?" Koya asked nonchalantly. New students weren't common, but they weren't uncommon either. It only sparked interest for a little while until the small amount of excitement died down. Despite this, it was obviously strange for Kio and Agatsuma-Sensei to be talking about a new student.

"Yeah. Get this," Yamato leaned in closer. "I heard this kid's gone to fourteen different hospitals and everybody says there's nothing wrong with him."

_This_ got Koya really interested. "Then why does this new person keep coming back?" She questioned, stopping about halfway back to shore.

"Kio said it's his mother!" Yamato smirked.

"What's the kid's name? Do you remember?"

Yamato closed her eyes and racked her brain, attempting to remember the name for Koya. The first name had Ric-something. Wait no… not Ric… It had been Rit-something.

She opened her eyes, remembering the name. "Aoyagi Ritsuka."

* * *

Hello everyone.

This is my first AU story and I personally think it will be a good one.

My name is Wolfie and I really like reviews.

Anyways, this first chapter is a set-up for the rest of the story. It's really about Soubi and Ritsuka but I liked the idea of having Yamato and Koya interact for the introduction chapter.

Also, this is rated M because of the explict sex in later chapters :3

review, please!

~Wolfie


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**II  
**

Soubi's head hurt. Badly. It was like a heartbeat, throbbing and never stopping. His last patient had just left and it was only the third one of the day. He hated dealing with kids, especially the extremely disturbed ones. But, he was supposedly 'the best doctor in the hospital' and therefore 'needed to see _some _patients'.

Kio, one of Soubi's few friends, acted as his secretary and as the person to take over his appointments when Soubi's head began to hurt. Groaning, he dialed his number on his desk phone and waited for the man to pick up.

"I need you to take over for me for the rest of the day," He told him after Kio picked up after two rings. "Can you take my messages for the rest of the day, too?"

"Sure Sou-chan, anything. You need pain meds of anything? Seven suggested that you take some," Kio's voice sounded odd over the phone.

"No," Soubi said. "I just need sleep. Thanks." Without waiting for a reply, he shut off the phone and glanced down at the paper on his desk one last time before rising and unlocking the door to his tiny apartment at the back of his office.

_Aoyagi Ritsuka_, he thought to himself as he shut off the lights in his bedroom. _Seimei said he'd come. Now he's dead but his prediction is coming true. _

"We are here today," Minami Ritsu began in front of the rest of the Septimal Moon board members. "To discuss the death of a certain individual."

Soubi glanced over at the empty seat beside him. They were all here, Soubi, Kio, Ritsu, Seven, Nagisa, and Chouma, Kio's little sister. Everyone… except for Seimei who had been found burned to death one year ago.

"'_Death_'?" Chouma piped up. "That bastard's not dead! All of you know as well as I do that that ass is still alive!" She was only fifteen, but she had off the charts IQ and wonderful insight into people's brain. The only downside was, like Soubi, she could be quite a misanthrope cynical person.

"Chouma!" Kio snapped. "Watch your language!"

Aoyagi Seimei… That's whom they were here to discuss. Soubi didn't necessarily like him. He always carried himself as if he was higher than everyone else. Although, in the last months of his life, Seimei had ignited a sort of relationship with him. Soubi was more fearful of him than anything else, as most people were, but he enjoyed being dominated by him.

"Please defend your case, Chouma," Ritsu said from the front of the table. The six members were seated at a long oval table in a conference room at the top of the main building. The main building held the school, offices, and the conference rooms for the board. Ritsu, being the president, was seated at the head of the table, with everyone else around him.

"Have you guys freaking_ seen_ what's been going on around here?" Chouma stood and raised her voice, making sure everyone could hear her. "As soon as we decide that he needs to be imprisoned for illegal experiments he _dies_? How suspicious is that? And then patients start disappearing out of what seems like thin air and we never find them again, or they come back with deformities. Explain to me how our head scientist 'dies' and things like this keep happening!"

Seimei had been the head scientist at the institution. No patient ever saw him unless they were going in for surgery. He was a dark man, who had turned against the Septimal Moon board recently. They had learned that he had reverted to doing experimental lobotomies on patients. This was a procedure where a patient was strapped down to a table, unable to move and un-sedated. Seimei would take a scalpel and go in through the eye and tweak the nerves of the brain. This surgery had been abandon by psychologists long ago and ruled unacceptable by the rest of the board. Nevertheless, Seimei had done multiple lobotomies and other illegal experiments. He had been kicked off the board and right after he had died.

"Who else seconds Chouma's claim?" Ritsu questioned the rest of the group.

"I," Seven said.

"Please support your case."

"As you all know," Seven stood and glanced at the rest of them. "I am the head of security here. I also have a medical degree and I am a certified medical examiner. I also monitor every door in this hospital. When the claims were made about Seimei performing illegal surgeries, I checked the history of weather or not his door was locked during the times of the accusations. I found that, as suspected, Seimei's door was locked during the times. When he was doing legal procedures, his door was not. This seemed off to me."

"Tell them about the examination," Nagisa growled from beside her.

"Please refrain from interrupting," Ritsu instructed.

Nagisa pouted and crossed her arms again.

"After he was found dead," Seven went on. "I was asked to do the examination of his body. The body, as you all know, was too charred to be properly identified. So, I tested the dental records. They did not match Seimei's."

"Very well then. I believe that we should meet again to discuss this. On to the next topic, then. Soubi came to me with this one. Soubi-kun, would you like to lead this one?"

Soubi glared at Ritsu, hating being spoken to by the blue-haired man. He didn't stand up like the others. He despised speaking in front of others. Sure, he was respected, but he was still anti-social.

"Aoyagi Ritsuka," He said. "Will being arriving at the institution shortly."

His statement was followed by a few short gasps and looks of surprise from everyone but Kio. Even Ritsu had a slightly shocked look on his usually unemotional face.

"Aoyagi…as in…" Nagisa trailed off.

"Yes Aoyagi as in Seimei," Soubi snapped. He had been unusually agitated these past few days, ever since first getting news of Ritsuka's soon to be arrival. The kid was going to be just like Seimei, someone who ordered him around like a dog and thought everything around him to be disgusting. Seimei had kept a photo of Ritsuka on his office desk and often paid more attention to it than to Soubi.

"We're letting what I assume to be his little brother in to the institution?" Chouma shouted. "What the hell could _possibly_ be wrong with him?"

"Chouma…" Kio warned.

"Shut up! I'm on to something here! I bet my job that Seimei has something to do with this! He's _obviously_ not right in the head, so I'm guessing that it runs in the family!"

Ritsu held up his hand to signal her to stop talking. She fell silent and the only sound in the room was Ritsu shuffling his papers and clearing his throat. "Soubi-kun," He looked directly at him. Soubi narrowed his eyes at him, hating him more with every memory that came back to him. "May I talk to you after the meeting?"

"No," Soubi told him. Why did Ritsu have to do that in front of the rest of the council? Most of the members knew of what happened to them eight years ago, and Ritsu's comments just made it more obvious. "If you've got something to say, say it here."

"I want you to take his case," Ritsu said quietly. He then raised his voice to address all five of them. "Board meeting dismissed. I will notify you all if there will be an emergency meeting called sooner than the weekly meeting."

The group filed out in the usual order. Nagisa babbled to Seven, and Chouma dropped to the near end of the group, near Soubi and Kio. Ritsu was always the last out and he called out to Soubi.

"As president I'm giving you Aoyagi Ritsuka's case," He said, coming up to him and giving him a thick manila folder with Ritsuka's full name on it. Soubi grudgingly tried to take it from him, glaring at the older man again. "And you should really get your head checked out. I'm worried about you," He insisted, still holding on to the folder.

Soubi yanked the file from his hands and left him for Kio and Chouma, who were waiting back for him at the door.

"What's your problem with him?" Chouma asked somewhat innocently as she looked up at him.

Kio nudged her, "He hasn't even told me yet."

"You know, I can get you in for an MRI or something," Chouma offered. Despite being only fifteen, she was the head experimental psychologist at the hospital. Unlike Seimei, she conducted experiments through the mind. She was most renowned for an invention that used specific brain waves to create a fuzzy image of what the person being hooked up to the machine was thinking. This helped with numerous diagnoses, because it could also identify the subconscious.

Chouma also sat in with a therapist during a group session. She apparently didn't do any of the therapy, for she was quite callous and cynical, but she would monitor what she had done. Most of the time with group sessions she tested the placebo effect. This was where some kids would be on a medication and others weren't but thought they were. She also studied the memory and the subconscious.

"I don't need an MRI," Soubi grumbled. "There's nothing wrong with me."

"So you're telling me you get headaches everyday just because you're annoyed with kids?" Kio shook his head in disbelief. He glanced down at the folder Soubi held in his hands.

"Ritsu ordered me to take Seimei's little brother's case," He told his friend. He wanted to drop the file and burn it. He couldn't do it. He couldn't take the case. He wouldn't be able to do it. Not after Seimei's death. But he had to, and not just because Ritsu had ordered it.

Seimei had also. A week or two before he had died Seimei had told him of Ritsuka's arrival. Soubi had been in Seimei' apartment, watching him as he studied books. The virgin had looked up at him and Soubi had seen a dark smile playing on his lips.

"Ritsuka will be coming," He had said, moving towards Soubi and sitting on his legs. "If I'm gone… You will take care of him. You will love him."

_You will love him_. Those words reverberated in Soubi's head now. How had Seimei managed to know when he was going to die? It was quite suspicious, but Soubi still couldn't believe that he was alive. He was dead. He had to be.

"Tell Ritsu no! He doesn't have any say in what your cases are! Hell, he knows I take half of them! That kid's bad news, Sou-chan, I can feel it!" Kio was being his obnoxious self again, always loud and exaggerating things. Sometimes it was as if the things he said didn't even go through his headfirst.

"Actually, Ritsu can tell Soubi what cases to take," Chouma pointed out.

Kio frowned at her, "You're really buzz kill, you know that?"

_You will love him_. Soubi's mind went back to the day again, reliving it again. Seimei had sat on his lap and kissed him for a long moment. He had been kind, not biting or anything. Soubi had closed his eyes, wanting to give himself to the other. He liked it until he felt a sudden stab in his arm and fell into unconsciousness.

Soubi didn't know what happened after that. He had woken up on the floor of Seimei's lab in excruciating pain and with a raging headache. There was blood on his torn clothes and deep cuts on his neck. He preferred not to think about it, fearful of the truth of what happened.

That had been the first time he'd had a headache like that.

It was also the last time he'd seen Seimei alive.

* * *

The second chapter!

I really like writing this fic. I'm trying to make it AU but also in-character. Am I doing a good job?

And the mysteries start!

Review this chapter and if you have time please read some of my other stories!

Oh and thanks for the current reviews!

~Wolfie


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**III  
**

Ritsuka's mother, Misaki, rode in the backseat of the cab with him. Ritsuka sat next to her, listening as she spoke to him in that sweet, kind voice.

"You're going to get better, Ritsuka," She told him over and over. "They're going to cure you here. I'll visit you every week, I promise. You'll make friends here, Ritsuka. You'll get better. They'll bring the old Ritsuka back. You'll be good, Ritsuka, right?"

Ritsuka just smiled and nodded through the whole thing. She smiled back and continued toying with his sleeve. "Yes, mom, I'll be good," He said through his fake smile.

This was nothing new to Ritsuka. He had been to fourteen different mental facilities in the past year. There was nothing wrong with him. Ritsuka knew it and the doctors could never find anything wrong with him. They would send him home after not even a month, saying there wasn't anything wrong. Misaki kept sending him back to the hospitals. She truly thought her son wasn't right in the mind.

Deep in his heart, Ritsuka knew it was his mother who had something wrong with her. She beat him constantly and claimed that he wasn't 'her Ritsuka'. It was a fact that two years ago Ritsuka had lost his memory and become a whole different person, but he was the same person. For a year it was just the beating and the hallucinating. That is, until Seimei died.

Seimei had been Ritsuka's older brother by five years. He was smart, caring, and kind. Ritsuka idolized him. He would come home frequently from where he worked as a doctor and he cared for the younger brother. Ritsuka wanted to be just like him when he grew up.

Then one weekend, Misaki and Seimei had heard of Seimei's death. She had gone into full-blown insanity when she heard, and soon shipped Ritsuka off to his first hospital.

This time was different, though. Ritsuka was going to the hospital where Seimei used to work. His mother had said she had been saving this option for last. _Maybe this time will be different_. One part of his heart believed it but the other asked 'why'. Why would it be different? There was nothing different about this time around.

"They will bring my Ritsuka back. I'll have him back. Then, Seimei, Ritsuka, and I will be a happy family again. Yes, that's how it will be," Misaki babbled in the background of Ritsuka's thoughts.

"Ma'am, we're here," The cab driver said from the front. He looked annoyed at her constant talking, which was understandable. He brought the vehicle to a halt and waited for the two members of the Aoyagi family to get out.

For the first time since they got in the cab, Ritsuka glanced out the window. His big violet eyes widened at the sight before him. He had expected a bland prison-like building in a remote uninteresting place. The scene he was looking at differed greatly from his past experiences.

It was huge. The buildings were not prison-like at all, and they actually looking nice, friendly even. The front structure was a light gray rectangular looking building with bright blue tinted windows. Ritsuka counted about seven levels of windows, so there must have been about seven floors. Two round buildings that had the same painting style stood directly behind it. These were about twice the height of the first building, and they looked more like hotel towers than hospital buildings.

On each floor of these two towers was a wrap around balcony for the entire story. These also looked as if they acted as ramp, for kids were walking down them. The institution was fenced in, of course, but not with barbed wire or eight-foot tall walls. This fence was simple and black. It looked easy for kids to climb over. The gates were also open to the street and a long gray path winded up to the front building.

The grounds were not barren at all. In fact, they were quite the opposite. The area surrounding everything was healthy green grass that only stopped at the beach not far away. Gardens were planted around the buildings, and trees provided some shade. The fenced in grounds were large, looking to be around a square mile.

The first thing that struck Ritsuka odd was that there were kids _everywhere_. The next was that they were all, in fact, kids.

In every other hospital Ritsuka had been in nobody had ever gone outside. Here, there were kids lounging on the lawn, eating with friends, playing with others, stuff that normal kids would do. People were laughing, holding hands, and even studying together.

Nobody looked over the age of eighteen. During his other stays, creepy adults, all of whom looked like they wanted to murder him, had constantly bothered Ritsuka. Ritsuka wondered if staying in a hospital with only kids would make things better.

"Come on, Ritsuka," Misaki had opened the car door for him and was holding out her hand to him. "There's someone waiting for us."

Ritsuka took his mother's hand and followed her down the stone path. He caught the glances of a couple other teenagers, and most of them smiled kindly at him. Not one of them had that murderous intent in their eyes. It felt good knowing that Seimei had worked in such a nice place.

Soubi was with Kio and Chouma when his phone went off. It had been two days since the conference of the board and nothing more had been said about the suspicion surrounding Seimei's death or the new arrival. It was a Saturday, so both Kio and Soubi had the morning off. Chouma had joined them for lunch, and now the trio were walking around the cafeteria with the brother and sister arguing about what to eat. Soubi was only half-listening when the unmistakeable sound of his phone went off.

They were in the employee food court, but it still drew some attention. Soubi quickly shut it up and, the caller being Ritsu, pressed ignore. A message came up instantaneously

_Soubi-kun,_

_I know you ignore my calls. You should really pick up once in a while._

_Oh, and Ritsuka has just arrived._

_-Ritsu_

"I have to go," Soubi told Kio and his little sister. He didn't wait for an answer before rushing off. He heard Kio call after him, but he didn't stop.

Soubi's relationship with Seimei had been a complicated one. He wanted to be dominated, and Seimei was the one who could do that. He had been taught to be completely void of emotion, which is what he was. He never showed what he was really feeling, just usually hid it.

Little did he know that everything he knew was about to change.

A timid looking cat-eared woman was waiting for Ritsuka and his mother at the front doors. Her brown hair was neatly brushed and she looked highly uncomfortable in the high heels she was wearing.

"Aoyagi…Ritsuka?" She asked, reading off of the papers she held. Ritsuka nodded and she motioned for them to come inside. "My name is Shinonome Hitomi… and I-I'll be your teacher." She was stuttering nervously. "A-Aoyagi-san, you're going to have to come with me. Ritsuka… I'll leave you with… Yuiko-san! Come over here!" She waved at a girl who was whispering franticly with her friends.

As she happily bounded over to Shinonome-Sensei, Ritsuka got a better look at her. She was a tall girl about Ritsuka's age with long pink pigtails and a rather large bust. She was blushing as she met Ritsuka's eyes and her ears lowered when she bowed to him.

"Yuiko-San I want you to show Ritsuka around the school," Shinonome-Sensei instructed carefully. She was taking her words slow; as if she spoke any faster the girl wouldn't understand.

"Yes, Sensei!" The girl, Yuiko, said rather enthusiastically. "Come on, Ritsuka! Yuiko will show you around!" She began to head off and Ritsuka followed her. "Do you have a cell phone?"

Ritsuka wasn't getting a very good impression of her. So far she seemed dumb, stupid, and easy to take control of. "No," He replied simply, trying not to be too unfriendly. He wondered what she was here for.

"How about your favourite idol, then?" She rattled off.

"I don't have one," Ritsuka mumbled. He didn't want to talk to her. She seemed nice, but bubble-headed. "You don't have to talk to me, you know."

"Yuiko! Call me Yuiko! Not you, Yuiko!"

"Hush!" Ritsuka hissed as Shinonome-Sensei and his mother passed by.

"Are you two getting along okay?" Misaki questioned.

Ritsuka put on another fake smile and dragged Yuiko ahead of them, "Yes mother, Yuiko here is very friendly!" When they were finally out of earshot Ritsuka let go of Yuiko. "Listen," He growled. "You don't have to talk to me. Just give me the tour."

Yuiko laughed, "It's like you're two different people!" Ritsuka froze.

_Two different people_. The old Ritsuka and the person he was now. Two different people. Two different personalities. They weren't the same thing, they just shared one thing. That thing they shared was called a host. A host body. Was that all Ritsuka was?

_No!_ Ritsuka thought franticly. _I'm the same person! Mother's wrong, this girl's wrong… why can't they just see?__  
_"Don't ever say that again!" Ritsuka yelled at her, not caring who was there to hear him. He felt tears welling in his eyes as he fumed at the ditzy girl. "You're wrong! Just- just leave me alone!"

"Ritsu, that bastard!" Soubi cursed to himself as he ran down the hallways of the school, trying to get some result. Couldn't Ritsu have told him who the teacher was at least? He wasn't even sure what he was looking for!

Slowing his pace down, Soubi mentally pictured the photo Seimei had kept on his desk. Ritsuka had looked just like his older brother, but also different at the same time. That didn't help his search much though.

"Just leave me alone!" A desperate yell startled Soubi. That voice sounded all too familiar… The yelling was soon replaced by footsteps pounding towards the doctor at a fast rate.

"Yuiko's sorry!" A girl yelled. "Ritsuka-kun, I- Yuiko is sorry!"

Soubi couldn't believe his luck. Ritsuka was running towards him right at that moment. Well, he was actually running towards back exit to the courtyard, but Soubi would be able to get there first.

Taking a deep breath and pushing all second thoughts aside, Soubi prepared to finally meet Ritsuka.

Ritsuka let a sob escape as he burst out the door. He was crying and still running, when a hand grabbed at his wrist, violently jerking him backwards. He clenched his eyes shut and tried to fight against whoever was holding him back.

"Stop following me!" He cried, assuming the person was Yuiko.

"Why are you crying?" A deep voice followed.

Ritsuka opened his eyes and looked straight into a pair of light blue eyes. He was being held by a tall man with long blonde hair and an iron grip. The man was peering at him over his glasses with an intense stare. Ritsuka noticed almost immediately his lack of ears on top his head.

"Why are you crying, Ritsuka?" He repeated, taking in Ritsuka's dumbfounded stare.

"Who-who's crying? And how do you know my name?" Ritsuka snapped, regaining his senses and once again trying to pull free. He was held on to tightly still. "Let go of me!"

"If I do, you'll escape," He stated simply. "Do you know who I am?"

"How the hell would I? I've never met you before!"

The guy turned his head to the side in interest. "Didn't Seimei ever talk about me on his trips home?" He asked innocently.

Ritsuka's gaze softened and he stopped struggling, "You were one of my brother's friends?" If Seimei knew him, then he must be okay. Seimei only knew good people. He wouldn't make friends with someone with bad intentions. "What's your name?"

"Soubi's my first name but I get called Agatsuma-Sensei around here a lot."

He let go of Ritsuka and leaned against the wall beside them. It was a summer day, so the sun shone down on them both, warming Ritsuka up a bit. Birds tweeted nearby and a butterfly fluttered past them. He looked back at the man before him and flushed at his attractiveness.

"Agatsuma-Sensei… You're a doctor, then?" Ritsuka guessed. If Seimei had known him and people called him 'Sensei' then he was probably a doctor at the institution.

"Just call me Soubi, Ritsuka. And yes, I am. Actually, I'm the head doctor here but I don't treat many cases."

Ritsuka stared at the butterfly flying in circles for a moment and thought. "Then you must have my case," Ritsuka concluded. "I'm guessing not many patients know you personally. That, and I've been to fourteen mental hospitals, so I'm considered high priority."

"That's right," Soubi smiled at him and Ritsuka blushed a little more as he did so. Soubi wasn't speaking to him as if he was stupid, like Shinonome-Sensei did to Yuiko. Instead, he spoke to him normally. Ritsuka liked that. He could live with this guy being his doctor.

"Soubi," Ritsuka tugged at his arm. "Do you have any free time?"

"Of course, Ritsuka. Would you like to do something?"

"Are we allowed to go down to the beach?" Ritsuka brought out his camera from the pocket of his jeans and held it carefully in his hands.

"I would think so," Soubi held out his hand and Ritsuka happily took it.

* * *

Hello my dear readers!

Thank you so much for the reviews. I am happy that I have quite a few coming from Poisonous!

Just a quick question, do any of you know if I can install Windows XP on my compaq Armada M700?

Special thanks to my beta, Summer-Flower-Girl

Keep reviewing!

~Wolfie


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four IV

Soubi watched as Ritsuka scrolled through the pictures the pair had taken. It had been easier than he thought to earn Ritsuka's trust. Apparently, the boy would trust just about anyone that told him they knew Seimei. He had only half lied to him about being the elder son's friend. He didn't exactly know what Seimei considered him to be.

Ritsuka was grinning as he looked at each of the fifty pictures, one by one. The two were sitting on a bench near the bluff where grass dissolved into sand.

"Ritsuka," Soubi said, laying a hand on his shoulder to get him to look up at him. "Let's just talk for a little."

Ritsuka glanced up at him. He had big violet eyes that were clear, unlike most of the patients Soubi saw on almost a daily basis. Soubi looked at the rest of the boy's features in detail. He had a soft face with pale white skin. He actually looked quite feminine, but not at the same time. Soft looking ears protruded from mounds of black hair and a soft tail waved from underneath him.

Soubi had been wrong about him. _This can't be Seimei's brother_; Soubi had thought when Ritsuka had bolted out of the building in tears. Still, he had grabbed him, just to be sure. The child sitting next to him was very different from his mysterious brother. He would smile, not at others pain, but in real happiness. He had many emotions; unlike Seimei who only seemed to have sadistic, anger, and even more sadistic.

"O-okay," Ritsuka said, almost uncertainly. "What do you want to talk about?"

Soubi found his mind working hard to analyze Ritsuka's every move and word to try to diagnose him. He didn't truly believe there was anything wrong with him. The records from previous hospitals had all said the same thing: they didn't see anything wrong. The files held accounts from multiple doctors. If every doctor said the same thing, wasn't it most likely true?

Soubi pointed at the camera, "Do you take pictures with everybody?"

"No," Ritsuka shook his head. "Usually only the doctors I like. Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well, I never really thought Seimei had an adult friend…" Ritsuka trailed off and looked away as if he was scared to say the wrong thing.

"Oh, my ears?" Soubi finished nonchalantly. "There's nothing for you to worry about." Soubi made a resolution to maybe tell Ritsuka what really happened to them one day. He did seem like the kind of person he could get used to.

**"Hurry it up, would you?"**

Soubi heard the voice clear as anything and suddenly whipped around. It had been there; he knew he'd heard it.

And it had sounded exactly like Seimei…

"Soubi? Are you okay?" Ritsuka prodded at him. He was probably startled at Soubi acting oddly.

"I'm fine," He told him reassuringly.

**"Do something!"**

Soubi tried not to jump at the sound of the voice again. Again, it had sounded dark and angered. Exactly…like…him.

_I'm not going crazy_, Soubi told himself over and over. _I'm just tired and overworked. _His head spun and pain sparked in his brain yet again. Thoughts swirled around in his head, half of them not making any sense as Soubi tried to sort them out. _Love him… love Ritsuka… do something…_ _I have to do something._

Unable to think clearly or even know what he was doing, Soubi leaned forward and caught Ritsuka's face in his hands. He pressed his lips to a pair of much softer ones for a long moment before finally coming back down to earth.

_What the hell am I doing? _He thought franticly. _Why did I…? No! It doesn't matter why; I'm going to lose my license!_

Ritsuka shoved him away after a few seconds. He breathed hard, his face beat red. He looked angered, confused, and embarrassed all at the same time. Soubi watched as he looked quickly at him and at the school, and then take off running towards it.

"Ritsuka, wait!" He yelled, running after him. Ritsuka was quick, but Soubi was quicker and caught him before he reached the halfway point.

"Stop!" Ritsuka tried to fight him off but it proved no avail. "Don't! Why did… Pervert! Let me go!"

He was crying. Tears streamed down his face as he attempted desperately to run away. He needed to be comforted. Hell, he probably wanted to be comforted. Soubi probably wasn't the best person to do it at the time, but he was the only one around.

"Ritsuka," Soubi said again. "Stop fighting." He wrapped his arms around the teen and held him close. Ritsuka went limp and sobbed into his chest. He looked like he was being weighed down by something much larger than the kiss the two had shared.

Honestly, Soubi had actually enjoyed it. Ritsuka hadn't shoved him away or called him worthless any pathetic. Yes, he had called him a pervert, but he had all the right reasons to. After all, he did kiss a child when he told him he wouldn't do anything.

_Could I really be falling for this kid? I barely know him…_Soubi rested him chin on the top of the boy's head, savouring the moment while it lasted. He felt Ritsuka's arms wrapped around him almost reluctantly and smiled a little.

"I'm sorry, Ritsuka," He whispered into his cat ear, trying to offer some source of comfort to him. It must have worked, as Ritsuka quieted down some. After awhile, he finally gently pulled away.

"I should be back at the school," Ritsuka muttered, looking down at the ground. He began to walk away with his head down and his tail drooping, but Soubi grabbed him by the arm again, suddenly remembering something. "Let go…please…"

Soubi smiled, "You left your camera back there."

A dark haired man was seated at the long table in a control room a safe distance away from the school and its security and search frequencies. He was dressed quite strange for an evil looking man in a control room, for he was wearing a full suit and looked quite dignified.

The monitor he was watching was clearly from a bug placed on someone. Another held an image of a map and a flasher on it, most likely from a locator. There were buttons and slides placed on the panel in front of the young adult, some of which flashed often.

He smiled a dark grin, one that showed his evil thoughts, and leaned forward in the creaking chair. He at last took his eyes off of the video screen, where live footage of a boy who looked very much like him was playing, and proudly pushed in one of the buttons.

"Hurry it up would you?" When he spoke into the nearby microphone, his voice was full of malevolence and the extreme want to watch someone in pain. It was an icy cold sound, one that could make one stop in their tracks and run away.

He smiled again and pushed two more switches, one that seemingly did nothing and the other that switched the camera view. Releasing the first button, he leaned back and watched intensely as the hidden microphone picked up a sound of surprise.

This time, the dark man with jet back hair and eyes threw back his head and laughed, "That's right, you stupid excuse for a doctor, I'm still alive. How can you not see it? You're more of an idiot than I thought, Soubi."

"Ritsuka," Soubi rounded on the boy seated at the picnic table with his camera. "Why don't we talk on the way back?"

Ritsuka looked him straight in the eye. "You won't do anything to me?"

"No," Soubi promised. He would indeed try his hardest not to. Despite this, he held out his hand for Ritsuka to take. He understandably hesitated, but gave in.

"When do I meet with you?" Soubi noticed Ritsuka stare at the ground as he muttered the question.

"Any time you want to. I have time," This wasn't necessarily true since Soubi had other patients, but he would easily push those appointments aside for Ritsuka.

Ritsuka peered up at him for a moment, "What were you to Seimei?"

_Good question_, Soubi thought. _I'd like to know that, too. _"His friend. I thought I already told you that," He gave the boy a forced smile. By then, they were nearing the school.

"I have to go meet back up with my mother," Ritsuka said, glancing off towards the main building. "It'd also be sort of odd if I'm seen with the head doctor…"

Soubi laughed, "Nobody even knows what I look like unless they've seen me. And usually the people I see are locked up or won't even talk. Listen," His voice changed to a more serious tone. Reaching into his pants pocket, he produced a tiny scrap of paper with multiple numbers written on it. "If you need anything, those are my contact numbers. The top one is my cell number, the second is my office line, and the last is the office number of my friend, Kio, who can usually contact me no matter what. The first address on the back is my apartment, which is attached to my office. The second is my friend's apartment. I don't care what it is, if you ever need me, just call."

Ritsuka stared at the slip of paper. "In case I need you…?" He trailed off, looking for an explanation.

Soubi eyed the bandages on his arms; something Ritsuka probably thought had gone unnoticed. "You're mother," He guessed, pointing at them.

Ritsuka bristled angrily, "How the hell did you know that?"

"They're too abnormal to be self-mutilation, and a person can't possibly fall that many times in a certain time frame. Seimei never mentioned any father, but he did let it slip that your mother may be mentally ill. With every other possibility eliminated it just leaves abuse. Your mother abuses you, doesn't she?"

Ritsuka hung his head again, ears drooping. Soubi realized he'd probably said the wrong thing. _I probably shouldn't have gone that far._

"Ritsuka…" A frantic yelling from the main building cut him off. A young-looking teacher was yelling for Ritsuka to come back. Beside her stood another woman with an evil-looking expression. It had to be Ritsuka's mother, since the resemblance between them was uncanny.

"Call me if she lays a hand on you," Soubi told the teen, placing a hand on his shoulder.

**Tell him that you love him, idiot!**

Soubi forced himself not to start. There that voice was again; dark, evil, malevolent, sadistic, slightly angry, it was all there. He could almost picture Seimei himself saying it.

His thinking then became hazy and his vision blurred at the edges. _What's happening to me? _He could barely even hear himself think. Ritsuka had started to walk away, but Soubi grabbed him again.

"I love you."

_What. The. Hell._

The haze cleared away within a second. His vision was restored to its previous state and his mind was sharp again. Ritsuka's eyes widened and he tore himself from Soubi's grip, racing towards his mother and teacher.

It was only seven at night, but the world outside Soubi's bedroom window was pitch black. _I guess a storm's coming_, he predicted, pausing from what he was doing to look outside it. He sat at his desk in the tiny room alone. In front of him was a paper with a couple sentences written on it.

_I am hearing voices._ The first one read. It was scratched out with another sentence written above the cross out: _I am hearing _**_a _**_voice. _An arrow was drawn from it, leading to another statement written: _The voice is Seimei's_. Another group of words was written off to the side of the three: _I can't control my actions- related?_

Soubi sighed, considering throwing out his written thought process. He rejected this idea, thinking of one last thing to write down. He chose to do so next to the one pertaining to the relationship between Seimei and the voice.

_Seimei is dead_, the final one read.

He suddenly wasn't sure if that one was true.

_I love you? What the hell?_ Ritsuka thought angrily to himself as he began to unpack his things. Shinonome-Sensei had taken Ritsuka and his mother through his classes and such. She had said she would give him the orientation the next day. He was all-alone now, since his mother was signing more papers.

It was a nice room. There was a full bed pushed up against the corner, a clock that read 7:00 PM on the nightstand, a desk with a computer, a bathroom attached, a closet; it felt more like a home than any other institution.

Ritsuka was enjoying the breeze as well as the view coming in from the open door to the balcony. Being on the second floor, he had his own balcony, since the spiralling ramp didn't start until the third floor. The view overlooked the beach and the full moon that hung above it, giving Ritsuka a very tranquil sense.

An uneven rapping sounded at the door, and Ritsuka suddenly knew it would end his peaceful night. He slowly trudged to the door to open in, his mother pushing her way through. She had that that look in her eye, the one that meant pain. She shut the door behind her and stood in front of Ritsuka, drawing herself up to her full height. Ritsuka bravely met her eyes, just for a second, if even.

Misaki's hand flashed out, striking her son across the cheek. Ritsuka cringed and stumbled backwards. He tripped over the desk chair and fell to the floor.

"Don't look me in the eyes like that! My Ritsuka would never do that!" She shrieked. Ritsuka wished she would at least keep it down so that nobody became suspicious. "What have you done with my son, you murderous little bastard?"

He hauled himself upwards and, being momentarily distracted, felt his burning cheek with his hand. Misaki took the chance to come at him again, running and taking him down by jumping on his back. Her teeth sunk into the flesh of his neck and Ritsuka soon found himself face first on the floor with his mother on top of him.

"Stop, mother…! I'll get better here, I promise! Please!" He struggled, feeling a hand snake around his throat as the sharp teeth were removed. The nails on her other hand scratched his face and yanked at his ears and tail.

Ritsuka was being suffocated as his mother screamed things about him not being her son, as well as every obscenity under the sun. He coughed, trying desperately to get the air that he needed so much. Cuts bled from every part of exposed flesh. It hurt…

_How much longer can I take this?_ Ritsuka tried to get her off of him, but his prayer was answered when another knock sounded. Misaki quickly got off of him and went to the door. Ritsuka struggled into a sitting position, breathing heavily and bleeding a lot.

"What the hell is going on in here?" An aggravated voice asked. A short girl stood in the doorway. Her long-ish green hair stood in contrast with her boyish clothes. She looked not much older than Ritsuka, probably about fifteen, probably. Her voice held authority, as well as her hands-on-the-hips posture.

Misaki stared back at the small teen with cold eyes, "I do not believe you have the authority to speak to me in that way."

"My name is Doctor Kaidou Chouma MD, and I do believe I have more than the authority to speak to you in that way," She snapped. _A doctor?_ Ritsuka couldn't believe this young woman had a medical degree. "And _I_ want to know what the fuck is going on in here!" She shoved Misaki out of the way and her mouth fell open at the sight of Ritsuka.

"My son tripped and fell in his room today. He has to be more careful, doesn't he, now?" Ritsuka's mother's voice was still icy and dark with hate. 

Chouma looked at Ritsuka with her back turned to Misaki, her grey eyes filled with an abrupt understanding. Surreptitiously, she put her hand inside her black jacket and pulled out a cell phone. Then she turned on Misaki.

"You need to leave. Now." She glared at the older woman, showing that supremacy over her once again.

"Ritsuka, let's go," Misaki yanked on Ritsuka's arm, forcing him to his feet. _Help!_ He didn't dare to say it aloud, or even look back, for he knew the consequence would be another injury. Chouma thrust her arm in between them and going any further.

"I meant you," She growled. Misaki suddenly let go of Ritsuka, making him fall back to the floor, and jumped at Chouma with a scream. Chouma sidestepped her and opened her phone.

"I need back-up at sector 2, section A! Second floor, room 113!" She yelled into it, barely catching Misaki fist with her own palm. "Yes, send Kio!" It fell with a crash as Chouma was forced to use both hands to defend herself. Ritsuka shrunk away, his breathing still laboured. Black edged at his vision, making him see double. He eyed a slip of paper discarded on the desk and the within-reach phone.

_"I don't care what it is, if you ever need me, just call."_

Taking a ragged breath of air, he grasped onto the fallen cell-phone and the piece of paper. His fingers shook as he dialled the first number.

"Chouma?" Soubi's voice picked up after the second ring. "Kio just called me in panic-"

"Soubi," Ritsuka rasped. "My mother tried to suffocate me…Help…"

"Ritsuka?" He sounded surprised, but soon seemed to process his words. "Hold on, I'm coming. Do I need to take you to the infirmary?"

"No…No hospital, please…" Ritsuka was struggling harder now. He half-saw his mother being dragged out of the room and Chouma being held back and cared for by a man who was older but looked very much like her.

"Stay on the line, Ritsuka. Are you with me?"

The sound of Soubi's voice comforted Ritsuka. He leaned against the hard flat side of his desk, letting his head fall back against in. Through slitted eyes he watched his mother break free and run down the hallway, three burly men racing after her.

"Ritsuka?"

"I'm still here…" He murmured.

"I'm close," The click of the other line ending the call sounded, and Ritsuka heard the door shut as well. He was lifted up and he felt something being slipped over his mouth and nose. Clean air flowed in, giving Ritsuka's near-closed airways better oxygen.

Ritsuka finally opened his eyes to find himself in Soubi's arms. He tried to say something but it just came out as incoherent mumbling through the oxygen mask.

Soubi smiled, brushing the black hair out of the boy's face, "Shh, sleep now. We can talk later."

Even stubborn Ritsuka was more than happy to oblige.

* * *

Hello, my dear readers!

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! Keep it up!

This plot is going to be getting VERY complicated, I warn you now. I have so much planned for this, I hope all of you stick around for it.

Also, Am I actually good at writing? I've improved a lot from 'A Death Note Fallen Into The Wrong Hands' but I don't really know how much and whatever. However, I do know that I write my stories differently from how I talk and how I write my author's notes.

Oh and if you have time, go read some of my other stories and then vote on my poll!

Keep reviewing!

-Wolfie


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five **

**V**

"Let me get this straight," Kio said, storming into Soubi's apartment. "You're keeping a patient _here_?"

Soubi sighed, rolling his eyes at his slightly obnoxious friend. He had been handwriting his case notes that were long past deadline. Returning to his work, he jotted down a few more observations.

"No," He corrected. "I'm keeping Ritsuka here. And give me back the key I gave you."

"Oh, because that's _so _much better!" Kio slammed the door, making the high-up apartment shake. "Why the hell do you want your key back?"

"So that you won't keep barging in here at random times."

Soubi had had quite a scare twelve hours before. Ritsuka had called him on Chouma's cell phone, saying that his mother had tried to suffocate him. Soubi had immediately rushed to help. Ritsuka had sounded terrible over the phone, so he had swiped an oxygen mask from the hospital cart and a very small supply of oxygen from the infirmary.

Sure enough, when Soubi had arrived Ritsuka had been a mess. His breathing was labored and he bled from many places. Soubi had taken the teen back to his own apartment after he was asleep and bandaged him up there.

For some reason, it had actually made Soubi worried. He never cared about any of his patients. Ritsuka intrigued him, though, and he liked him. There was just something about him that set him apart from everyone else.

Soubi shook his head, wishing to get back to his work. He needed to finish it, or better yet, clear his mind. Ritsuka slept peacefully in the other room. Soubi wanted to wake him up, but restrained himself from it. Ritsuka needed his sleep; Soubi needed to do his paperwork.

""I know you didn't come here to bother me," Soubi sighed. If you did, your sorry ass is going straight back out that door."

"Don't be so nasty!" Kio commented, taking his place opposite the head doctor. "I've got news on Aoyagi Misaki."

Soubi glanced over the top of his glasses at him, "Ritsuka's mother?"

"The crazy lady who attacked my little sister yesterday," Anger crept in Kio's voice as he spoke of the attack on his sister.

"You've got news on Ritsuka's mother, Crazy Misaki?"

"She escaped."

The impact of the news caught Soubi off guard. He dropped his pencil as the image of finding Ritsuka beaten and broken came into his head. It had been a disturbing sight, especially since it had been a person Soubi cared about. The feeling of caring was new to him, and it didn't leave a good impression when it brought along the feelings of anger and sadness with it.

_Why do I care? I've only known the kid for a day._ The answer to the question was unknown, something Soubi did not enjoy anything being

At that moment, Soubi felt a fueled hatred for Ritsuka's mother. It was evident that the incident hadn't been the first episode of abuse. Ritsuka had had bandages, bruises, and cuts on his body. Misaki wasn't right in the head, and delusions made her think that Ritsuka belonged in a mental institution, instead of herself. Any person that did that kind of damage to their own child deserved to rot in hell.

"…Soubi?"

Pulled out of his rage, Soubi decided that the stupid paperwork could wait. To hell with Ritsu if Soubi didn't do his paperwork. He was too much of a wuss to fire him, anyways.

"I'm going to go get a few answers out of Ritsuka," Soubi told his friend. "Do some of that work, its long overdue." Not waiting, he walked out of the room and entered the bedroom.

"Hey, wait a second!" He heard Kio call after him. "Why do I always get stuck with _your_ dirty work?"

Ritsuka awoke in an unfamiliar place. He didn't need to open his eyes to tell; just the scent gave it away. The blankets pooled around him smelled partially of cigarette smoke, but mainly of paint, and then there was something else. It wasn't foreign, since Ritsuka was sure he knew it.

Ritsuka opened his eyes and immediately squinted at the incoming sunlight from the window opposite the bed. It streamed in with bright, happy morning light, promising a good day. Ritsuka, however, did not enjoy seeing the light so bright directly after waking up. Groaning, he rolled onto his stomach, an unexpected pain shooting through his body as he did so. He hugged the pillow and enjoyed the warmth that the blankets provided as he tried to remember why he hurt so badly.

Somebody laughed off to the side. Ritsuka, startled, buried himself under the pillow as he heard the person speak. "Would you like me to shut the blinds, Ritsuka?"

Ritsuka shot up into a sitting position, "Soubi!" The young doctor was sitting in a chair beside the bed, looking stressed out but also relaxed and happy at the same time. The events from the previous night came rushing back to him, all pushing and shoving to be remembered first. He recalled his mother fighting him, Doctor Chouma intervening, and lastly, Soubi coming to Ritsuka's rescue.

"Relax, Ritsuka, or you're going to hurt yourself even more," Soubi told him soothingly, with a smile on his face. Ritsuka took little notice of his aching body, but settled back down, anyways. "You looked cute when you were asleep."

Ritsuka felt his face redden at the side-comment and quickly glanced away. "Soubi?" He wanted to know about the girl who'd got in-between Misaki and he. Maybe Soubi would know who she was.

"Hm?"

"Do you know a Doctor Kaidou Chouma?"

Soubi laughed again, not at his question but at something in it. Nevertheless, Ritsuka still frowned and pouted a little. "Doctor Kaidou Chouma? Is that what she's going by now?" He laughed again. His laugh made him look less stressed and happier. It was a nice laugh, a comforting one, one much like his voice. "If you want to know how I know her then its going to take some explanation."

Ritsuka remembered another name that Chouma had mentioned. "I've got time. And do you have any idea who Kio is? Doctor Kaidou mentioned them on the phone."

"You really are new here," Soubi joked again. "Of course I know Kio. He's Chouma's brother, and the two of them are my only friends. In fact, Kio's in the other room."

As if on a cue, the person Ritsuka had seen restraining Chouma poked their head into the room. It was a man with unruly green hair, street clothed, and about seven earrings in each of his ears. He was an adult, which was shown from his lack of cat ears.

"I heard my name," He said pointedly. His eyes widened at Ritsuka, and then flicked away to meet Soubi's gaze. "He looks-!"

"Go back to work," Soubi hurriedly cut him off. "Ritsu wants those reports done by this week." With his words and the shock of seeing Ritsuka, Kio sulked away.

"The way this place works," Soubi turned his attention back to Ritsuka. "Is that there is a board of seven members. I'm on it, Chouma's on it, even hyper Kio, who you just saw, is on it. I'm the head doctor, Kio works below me and is the head therapist, and Chouma is an inventor and the head experimental psychologist.

"There's also four more of us. Nagisa is head of biological studies. She also works at our hospital, or infirmary, if you prefer. Seven is a medical examiner and the head of security. Then there's Ritsu. All he does is make sure that everyone gets their work done, and he usually pisses all of us off. Then he yells at Nagisa and Seven. He runs this whole place."

Ritsuka waited for Soubi to continue, and was puzzled when he didn't. Including himself, Soubi had only listed six people. Initially, he had said there were seven. That left one person. Could it be that that person was not on the council anymore?

"Who was the seventh person?" Ritsuka sat up again, ignoring his body's protests, and looked Soubi in the eyes. His blue eyes were clouded over, as if he had more secrets than he let on.

"Its interesting that you say 'who was', Ritsuka," Soubi concluded after a moment of thinking. "I'm assuming that you already have an idea of who the seventh person was, correct?"

"Seimei was on the board before he died," Ritsuka kept any emotion from his face or voice. He didn't want to think about his brother's death. Ritsuka had loved Seimei like nothing else. He had been his best friend, the one person Ritsuka went to to talk to. He was gone, though, which meant that he no longer had anybody like that.

Ritsuka's way of dealing with Seimei's death was not dealing with it at all. He let no emotion play out on his face. He let no person get close to him. It seemed to have worked, at first, but Ritsuka was getting tired of being emotionless.

He wanted people to be close to him. He wanted that same closeness he'd felt with Seimei. Maybe Soubi was the way to start. He had rejected a more-than-willing Yuiko the day before, and had darted away from Soubi when he had closed the physical gap in-between them. He also didn't want people to get close to him because they'd all eventually leave and forget him.

"That's right," Soubi looked away from him and froze for a split second, clearly reliving a bad memory.

Soubi was somehow different from everyone else. Sure, he was weird because he'd kissed him and told him he loved him, but other than that there was just something unique about him. Ritsuka's relationship with him was obviously different from his with the other doctors. It also seemed that Soubi knew that there was nothing wrong with him. Something about him urged him closer to the mysterious man…

"Tell me what you're remembering about Seimei," Ritsuka pressed.

"Two can play at that game," Soubi smiled a mischievous smile. "Tell me what you're thinking about me."

"N-no!" Soubi knew how to get into Ritsuka's head. "Can I ask you a few questions?" Ritsuka had more questions, although his early explanation cleared up a few things.

"Go ahead, Ritsuka. Ask me anything you want."

"First of all," Ritsuka looked around. "Where the hell am I?"

Soubi laughed again, as if he thought the answer should be obvious. "I brought you back to my apartment last night."

_Okay, maybe he is just a big weirdo._

"I'm in… your apartment…" Ritsuka narrowed his eyes. "Isn't that illegal?"

"Because you're my patient?" Soubi guessed. "I didn't bring you here as my patient, I brought you here as someone who wanted to help another person in of my assistance." He leaned towards the bed and put his hands on either side of Ritsuka, smirking, "And because I like you."

Although he tried not to, Ritsuka flushed deeply. Regaining his composer, he shoved Soubi away from him, wincing in pain.

"What hurts?" He asked simply.

"Everything," Ritsuka thought about his mother. She had tried to kill him. It hadn't been the first time, though, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

"Why do you let her do this to you?" Soubi touched a bandage on his forehead, his voice taking on a softer tone. "What could you have possibly done that would make her do this to you?"

"I'm not her Ritsuka," Ritsuka muttered, forcing his gaze away from the other male's. "And I love her." It was the truth. Ritsuka loved Misaki, and couldn't leave her. It wasn't her fault that she was like this, anyways.

"How could you possibly love someone who tried to kill you?" Ritsuka froze at the quiet question. Soubi's hands idly fingered the piece of gauze, trailing down to tilt the boy's head up and forcing him to look him in the eyes.

_How can I love someone who doesn't even think of me as a person?_ Ritsuka struggled with the question everyday. Whenever he was back at home, Mother would test him with the foods he ate, and his actions. If he chose a food that the Old Ritsuka hated, he would be beaten. He had to be careful around her, otherwise he could end up in the hospital.

"Tell me about 'her Ritsuka'," Soubi prodded.

Ritsuka didn't want to tell the story, but Soubi needed to hear it. "I lost my memory two years ago," He started. "I completely changed. I'm a different person now. She tests me, everyday, with food and stuff. I'm not who she wants me to be; I'm _not_ Ritsuka. I'll disappear, one day, and nobody will remember me. The Old Ritsuka will return and I'll be gone for good."

"Is that why you take pictures?" Soubi's voice had that same gentle, comforting tone as before. It made Ritsuka feel better, somehow.

Solemnly, he nodded, "It's a way of making memories. That way, I won't be forgotten."

It was the first time Ritsuka had ever told anyone the full story. It felt weird, to be in his doctor's apartment, sleeping in his bed, and spilling out all of his secrets to him. No other doctor had ever had this affect on him, but Ritsuka couldn't help wondering if Soubi was like this with all his patients.

"I won't forget you, Ritsuka," _There_ those were those kinds of words again. The way Soubi chose his words gave Ritsuka a sense of security, one he wasn't sure was false or not.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Ritsuka said half-heartedly. _Maybe I don't want him to forget me._ "Anyways, do you treat all of your patients like this?"

Soubi leaned back in his chair, grinning again and crossing his arms behind his head. "Nope. You're special."

Ritsuka huffed, preparing to ask why when the man interrupted him.

"As your doctor, I have to do an initial examination on you. Do you want to do it here or in the examination room?"

"Which way are we supposed to do it?" Ritsuka asked suspiciously.

"In the examination room. I'll carry you, if you want," Soubi held out his arms.

Ritsuka had been through this before and knew that it would be embarrassing to do it in front of Soubi. Being carried in would cause him even more embarrassment.

"No way."

"Koya!" Yamato called, banging on the their dorm door. Neither had classes until afternoon and Yamato had new gossip for her beloved girlfriend.

"Just come in!"

Yamato twisted the knob and stepped inside her and Koya's brightly decorated room. She plopped herself down on the single bed, watching Koya brush her hair in the mirror. She reached forward and picked up her black fake ears and fixed them on the hidden cloth headband.

"You're out of your uniform already?" Yamato inquired as the other girl turned around to see how Yamato thought she looked. "You look great, now come on," She grabbed her wrist, leading her out the door.

"Where are we going?" Koya asked in surprise. She followed, though, without objection.

Yamato smiled at her and led her down the ramp, heading into the sunlight. Behind one of the staff houses, was a small forest. Koya and Yamato often jumped the short fence and headed out into the secrecy of the well-shaded woods to talk.

That was where Yamato was headed now. She helped Koya up and over the fence and then hoister herself over it. The two headed into the usual clearing and sat on the soft grass, enjoying the shade provided from the hot sun by the trees.

"So what is so urgent that you had to rush me here?" Koya laid down on her side, facing Yamato.

"You remember that kid I told you about?"

"Ritsuka? Yeah I remember him."

Yamato fingered a piece of soft grass, a wide grin on her face. "Agatsuma-Sensei took his case!" She exclaimed, leaning over her from her sitting position.

"_What_?" Koya abruptly sat up, almost hitting Yamato in the head. It was very rare for Agatsuma-Sensei to take someone's case as soon as they got to the institution. In fact, Yamato couldn't recall it ever happening.

"Wait, it gets better!" She told her excitedly. "Do you remember Seimei? He died really mysteriously about a year back after he was pulled from the board."

"What about him?" Koya was now interested in what Yamato had to tell her.

"The kid is Aoyagi Ritsuka, Seimei's brother!"

Koya's eyes grew very wide, as if she was connecting the dots and piecing together information. "Didn't you say that Agatsuma-Sensei was in a relationship with Seimei at one point and Seimei was very violent to him?"

"That's right," Yamato winked at her girlfriend, using a tone of voice that a teacher would use to praise a student. "Agatsuma-Sensei has taken this Ritsuka under his wing. I was down by the beach the other day and I saw Agatsuma-Sensei kiss the kid!"

"No way!" Koya leaned in further. "You saw him do that? Isn't that illegal, or something?"

"Yeah, but there's more. Last night, the stupid kid's mother beat the living crap out of him-!"

"I would rather you not talk about my brother like that," A deep, cold voice said. A young man, dressed in a full suit, stepped out of the shadows with a book under one arm. His curly black hair fell to his broad shoulders and his reading glasses were low on his nose. A crushing aura surrounded him, giving off the sense that he simply wanted to hurt people as much as he could.

The two girls' expressions changed to horror and they clung onto each other, scooting back against a tree.

"Sei-Seimei…?" Yamato's voice shook with fear. She recognized the man from when she would see the man in the hallways when Septimal Moon would meet. He was weird and creepy. He would meet her eyes in the hallway and flash a completely sadistic grin at her, one that looked like it belonged to a killer.

"Yamato," That grin flashed at her again and Yamato shrunk backwards. Seimei's black cat ears twitched as he paused and observed her. "Are you afraid of me, my dear?"

"Leave her alone!" Koya snapped bravely. "You have no right to be here! You're supposed to be dead!"

Seimei _was _supposed to be dead, but he was standing right in front of them. Even Yamato, who had just-passing grades, could figure out that Seimei had faked his death.

"Hello, Koya," Seimei greeted. He crouched down to their height and took a knife from his back pocket, fingering the blade carefully. "I bet the way you're looking at me now is the same way you would look at your father."

Koya made a small squeaking noise at the mention of her wretched father.

Seimei smiled even more, knowing he'd hit on a sensitive note, "What did he say when he was raping you? How many times did he tie you down and force himself inside of you? How many times, Koya? How many times?"

Yamato watched Koya squeeze her eyes shut as the tears started to fall.

"Shut up!" Yamato yelled. "Don't talk to her like that! Don't you have any respect for anyone's feelings, or are you just some sociopath?"

Seimei sighed and stood up. "Take them, Nisei," He motioned to something above Koya and Yamato's heads. "I've had about enough of them." Yamato felt a movement behind her, and then she and Koya were gagged and bound in a second. "The two of you are vital for my plans," Yamato heard Seimei say before the two girls were hit over the head and knocked out.

* * *

Hello everybody.

I'm not gonna say much here beause its like three in the morning and I need to find my wallet and go to sleep.

Review please,

~Chey Wolfe


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

VI

Soubi waited for Ritsuka in the chair next to Chouma. He had requested for her to be the physician he would do the examination with since Ritsuka seemed to be comfortable around her. She had a private lab, too, one that was away from the institution's clinic and infirmary wing.

Soubi worked better with her, also. When he did examinations with other doctors or had gone to the clinic, he often ended pointing out their stupidity and even snapping at them. He didn't like people anyways, so working with them was even worse. He was fine with Chouma, though, because she knew him well, and their intelligence was on the same level.

"I want to go to court," Chouma whispered to him as soon as Ritsuka was in the bathroom, getting changed. "That woman went too far last night. I've seen bad, but this was lot worse, Soubi. Is there anything even wrong with the kid?" She spun her seat around and pulled up a file on the desktop she was in front of.

"I can save you the trouble," Soubi offered, careful to keep his voice quiet. "Every one of the doctors who wrote part of the file says the exact same thing; that there's absolutely nothing wrong with Ritsuka."

"But what do you think?" Her eyes stared into his as she waited for his answer.

"The same thing," Soubi said almost instantaneously. He didn't have to think about it. Ritsuka was just like a normal kid. Well, probably as normal as a teen with retrograde amnesia could get. The only thing that prevented him from being normal was his mother, Crazy Misaki. "But we need to keep him here."

Chouma wasn't on his line of thinking, for she seemed puzzled. "Why? If he's not crazy, why keep him with the crazies?" One thing about Chouma is that she never used the 'correct terms' for anything. She called the insane mental patients what they were, crazies, the teenage drug-addicts what they were, druggies or stoners, and so forth.

"Why send him home to the crazy mother, who'll just ship him off to another institution and continue to beat the crap out of him?" He replied, leaning over her and reaching around her to the keyboard and mouse.

"Ah. Yes. Now I see your line of thinking, Mr. Holmes," Chouma was also keen on dry humour and jokes no normal person (normal not including Soubi) would understand.

Pulling up a new document, Soubi quickly typed in a few phrases. "This is what I gathered from what he told me today. He glanced down at her from his leaning-over-her position, watching her read the text on the screen.

_Ritsuka lost_ _his memory two years ago_

_He changed completely _

_Traumatic accident?_

_If so, he doesn't remember it._

_His mother seems to think he is not Ritsuka anymore, so she beats him when he does something the 'Other Ritsuka' would not do._

_Ritsuka adores his brother_

_Ritsuka's amnesia is retrograde and he will most likely never regain his memory._

"They're all reasonable conclusions," Chouma stated after a minute of reading. "For C to be true B has to be true. B is extremely possible, beings that his brother _is_ Seimei. From what we know, Seimei was doing some pretty illegal shit before he even was elected onto the board."

Soubi didn't want to believe it, but Chouma was probably right. He would think about her theory more later, when he had more time. "Onto D, what about-!"

"Hi, Ritsuka!" Chouma greeted over-cheerfully as the bathroom door swung open. Soubi settled back down in his previous spot, observing Ritsuka as the boy entered the good-sized examination room. He wore the gray hospital-gown and had all of his bandages off, excluding the newest ones. "I assume he," Chouma shot a playful glance at Soubi. "Already told you that I'm Doctor Kaidou Chouma?"

Ritsuka smiled at her. "Yeah. I saw you last night, too."

"He met your brother, as well" Soubi pointed out. "He barged into my apartment far too early this morning, like usual."

"What do you expect? That's just Kio," She turned her attention back to Ritsuka, "Just call me Chouma, Ritsuka; I dislike formalities. You've been through this before, yes?"

"Yeah, of course," Ritsuka replied. "What first, mental, physical or intellectual?"

"Whatever you want to start with," Chouma smiled at Ritsuka, a calm reassuring smile that she didn't use often. "I warn you, though. I do longer tests than other doctors."

Ritsuka seated himself on the examination table, his legs dangling off the edge of it. "Physical is the easiest, so let's do that."

"Good idea," Soubi commented. "We probably won't have to do the other tests, anyways. We have all of your records." That fact hadn't occurred to him until then, but it made their lives easier.

Chouma apparently hadn't, either, "You're right." She scooted her chair towards Ritsuka, with Soubi following close behind.

"Stand up, Ritsuka," Soubi said, offering his hand to the boy to help him down. Ritsuka hesitated again before accepting it, though he did at the last second. Soubi looked in awe at all of his scars. There were many of them, some with healing white skin, and others with angry red or purple flesh. Some were new and some were old, but it was obvious where every one of them came from.

Ritsuka angled his body away from him, catching him looking. A sad expression took over his features for a moment and the memories reflected in his eyes.

_Does he really love that woman? _Soubi wondered. It could be that he simply just thought he did when the 'love' was really an illusion. Ritsuka undoubtedly knew that he was supposed to love her, but he also knew that she wasn't supposed to abuse him. The contradiction and confusion was probably ripping him apart every single day.

Soubi felt a pang of empathy for the teen as he remembered his own past experiences. Ritsu had been abusive towards him, just as Seimei had been. He had the scars to prove it, just as Ritsuka did.

"Spread your arms, Ritsuka," Chouma told him. Ritsuka stood with his back to her and spread his arms. Chouma cast another side-glance at Soubi as she observed the scars.

Soubi focused his brain on what he was supposed to do. His mathematical mind worked and wrapped around his task. "Four feet, eleven inches," He concluded.

"What?" Ritsuka abruptly spun around. "How'd you come up with that? You never even measured me!"

Soubi pressed a finger to his lips, glad to be thinking about something happier, "It's a secret."

"I got the same thing," Chouma nodded and wrote the height down. "Soubi is a very smart man."

Ritsuka snorted with defeat, "How old are you, Chouma?"

"Fifteen," She replied, raising one of his arms above his head. "Are you feeling any pain when I do this? Other than your injuries, of course."

"No," Ritsuka answered as she did the same with the other arm.

Soubi took one of Ritsuka's hands when he relaxed his arms. Ritsuka tried to pull it away, but Soubi stopped him. "Press your hand down, as hard as you can," He instructed, using the test as a pathetic excuse. Ritsuka paused and then did. "Seventy pounds," He told Chouma.

"Tell me how the hell you knew that!" Ritsuka demanded. He truly wanted to know, since there was a look of confusion and annoyance in his face and eyes. The truth wasn't so complicated, Soubi had just been trained to measure height and weight without scales and by using tests.

"Nope. And you're underweight. Is it because of your mother?" Ritsuka had said something about being tested with food while talking to Soubi earlier.

Ritsuka's ears drooped, but he said nothing.

"I hear Soubi's a wonderful cook," Chouma grinned slyly. "I'm going to need you to take the gown off."

Ritsuka stared speechless at her. "No way!" He snapped. "Not in front of him!" Ritsuka jerked his head in Soubi's direction.

Chouma giggled and Soubi found himself chuckling, also. Ritsuka was quite shy, maybe even self-conscious. That was another sign he was normal, though. No person in the right mind would undress in front of somebody who randomly kissed them.

Ritsuka glared at them, showing his childish side for the first time. His file showed that he was fourteen, but he was much more mature than that.

"How about if I promise that I won't let Soubi do anything to you," Chouma winked at the pouting Ritsuka. "If he does, I'll kick his ass out of here."

"You couldn't do anything to me if you tried," He was going to go along with it, so that he could gain Ritsuka's trust. "I won't do anything, Ritsuka. I'll look away."

"Fine! No peaking!"

**You better not touch him.**

"Hah!" A high-pitched ringing sound cut all sound off in his ears as Soubi stumbled backwards. His eyes went wide and he backed up into Chouma's unorganized desk, knocking several stacks of paper down in the process. He held his throbbing head in his hand, his long hair draping over his face. The effect was worse than the last time the voice had haunted him.

Chouma and Ritsuka were staring at him. Soubi didn't need to look up to know it. Neither one of them had heard the voice or experienced the pain. They had no idea. He needed to get away from them.

Silently, Soubi left the room.

_

* * *

_

"Alright Ritsuka, we're done. Go find Soubi and tell him to walk you home," Chouma explained to Ritsuka. The evaluation had taken hours longer than expected, as Chouma had decided to do other tests. Soubi had left when light from the single window in the room had still been shining. It was well after dark now. "Its dangerous to walk around here alone at night."

Ritsuka nodded, "I'll find him." Ritsuka was worried about the mysterious doctor. Soubi had left rapidly after acting strangely. What had happened? Ritsuka hoped he wasn't hurt.

Chouma waved to him with a broad smile on her face as Ritsuka exited through the door. Ritsuka left the room and discovered Soubi passed out near the door. He was against the wall, lying on his side, with his glasses on and all. He had most likely passed out there, which meant he'd been there since he'd left.

"Soubi!" Ritsuka hissed, leaning down and shaking the man. "Soubi! Wake up! Soubi!" He shook him more violently, desperately trying to get him to wake up.

"Ritsuka!" Soubi's eyes shot open and he abruptly sat up. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Asleep? You've been passed out here for close to five hours!" Ritsuka eyed his smudged glasses. "You look like you took a pretty hard fall," He said, reaching for Soubi's glasses. "Your glasses are dirty. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Soubi replied, taking the glasses back after Ritsuka had cleaned them. "Thank you, Ritsuka. How'd the rest of your tests go?"

"Good. Chouma said you should walk me back to the dorms."

"She knows well. Its dangerous at night," Soubi stood and offered his hand to the teenager. Ritsuka took it without a thought. He was getting used to Soubi, and also getting over his fear of being close to people. He was letting his guard down, just this once.

Soubi put his arm around Ritsuka as he led the way outside. It was pitch black, with the exception of the stars glittering above. The sound of the waves on the beach sounded from not far away. The scene around them did not seem dangerous at all.

"What dorm are you in?" Soubi questioned him as they walked towards a cluster of short little buildings behind the main building.

"The second one-!"

"Hello Agatsuma-Sensei," A voice hissed from the alleyway. A girl stepped out of the shadows, and Ritsuka felt shivers go down his spine as she did . She looked about Ritsuka's age, judging from her height. Insanity and anger directed at Soubi gleamed in her amber eyes.

Soubi's grip on Ritsuka's shoulder tightened, pulling him a little closer. "What are you doing out here so late," He asked, returning her glare . "Its past curfew, and you're in sector three. How did you get out?" His words were cold, but they showed that Soubi knew this person. Was she another one of his patients?

"Aoyagi… Ritsuka," The girl ignored Soubi and stepped closer to Ritsuka. She leaned down to look at him, which gave Ritsuka a better look at her face. Her features were sharp in the glow from the moonlight, her eyes glinting, and her short neatly cut pink hair fluttered slightly in the breeze.

Ritsuka moved backwards, as he was startled by her closeness. She made no attempt to close the space between them again.

"Go away now," Soubi's voice deepened with anger . "And I won't call security on you."

The young woman had been continuously fidgeting with her hands. She twitched awkwardly every-so-often. A few tremors shook her entire body violently, while others were barely noticeable. She kept looking back and around her as if there she was positive someone was watching her.

"I'm not going back there," Her voice was on a different pitch with each word. She glared up at Soubi as she became dark again, "You know what happened to me, Agatsuma-Sensei. You know damn well. You know he's still alive. You know he took me."

_What is she talking about? _This woman was freaking Ritsuka out. That crazy look on her face reminded him of his own mother. Something about her words made Ritsuka shrink away and the darkness suddenly seem eerie to him. There was something wrong with her, but the man she was speaking of had without doubt caused that.

"And you!" She snapped at Ritsuka, turning her glower onto him. "Your brother did this to me! This man here just can't accept that he's fucking not dead!"

Ritsuka heard Soubi make the smallest sound of surprise. His hand twitched against Ritsuka's shoulder. Her words had as much of an effect on Soubi as it did on Ritsuka.

_Seimei wouldn't ever hurt anybody!_ Ritsuka thought franticly. His Seimei had been kind, gentle, a pacifist, just like him. He had taken care of Ritsuka after Misaki had beaten the younger Aoyagi son. Seimei would never have laid a finger on anybody!

"Ai!" A shape burst out of the shadows, running quickly towards the three. The girl, Ai, whipped around, her eyes widening at the sight. A boy with chin-length green hair leaped onto her back, and tackled her to the ground.

"Midori! Let me up, Midori! These two need to know the pain I went through, they need to-!" She flailed against him helplessly and soon resorted to kicking and screaming. Ritsuka took another shaky step backward, a shriek piercing his ears.

"Agatsuma-Sensei," Midori grunted, straddling Ai by sitting on her back. He bent forward and pinned the girl's arms above her as he looked up at Soubi. "I need something to restrain her with. I left my cuffs back with Natsou and Youji."

Silently, Soubi produced a pair of handcuffs from his coat pocket, tossing them to Midori's side.

"Thanks," Ritsuka watched him lock the restraints around Ai's wrists and sit back up as she kicked franticly. He held up a radio and spoke into it, "Where are you two? I need the sedative."

"Let's go," Soubi whispered to Ritsuka. Ritsuka looked back at the two struggling as two flashlights appeared before letting Soubi pull him along.

"What did she mean by saying that Seimei's still alive?" Ritsuka asked after a few minutes of walking in silence. Soubi seemed more distant after the encounter. Ritsuka was shaken up badly, but Soubi seemed to be going into some sort of mental shock. "Why did she say he did that to her? Who-!"

Soubi pulled Ritsuka into an alleyway between two stumpy buildings. He pushed the confused boy against the brick side-wall and got close, pressing their lips together. Instinctively, Ritsuka closed his eyes and relaxed. He could feel Soubi as close to him as possible, heat radiating off his body. One of his hands was on the back of the teen's head, pushed up into his ruffled black hair, while the other one held him around the waist. All of Ritsuka's self control left him as he reached his arms around the man's neck.

Ritsuka shouldn't have, but he wanted this. It was hard to understand why. Maybe it was a way to make a reality for the both of them after having heard the truth in the girl's words. Maybe it was a distraction or a way to find comfort in each other.

Ritsuka's thoughts left him when Soubi licked at his lips. He turned his head slightly and opened his lips, moaning at the sensation of having the other male's tongue inside of him. It explored his mouth as the hand on his waist slid under his shirt. They broke apart for a second and looked at each other, violet eyes meeting blue ones.

"Soubi," Ritsuka whispered the man's name, wanting to feel that distraction again. It was wrong, but Ritsuka's sense of wrong and right didn't matter then.

Soubi smiled for the first time since Ritsuka had woken him up. "Open your mouth, Ritsuka," He quietly instructed. Ritsuka parted his lips and closed his eyes, feeling Soubi's warmth and calmness surround him once again. The man pressed against him, slowly driving him insane. The discomfort of the wall against his back didn't even matter then. All his thoughts were driven towards Soubi's tongue divulging deeper into his mouth.

A fit of giggles exploded from the entrance of the alleyway as Ritsuka moaned again.

Soubi and Ritsuka broke apart and Soubi glared at the two culprits. Two boys, one with long sea-green hair, and the other with crimson red hair were laughing uncontrollably. They shone their flashlights in the other two's eyes making them both look away from the bright light.

"Looks like Soubi's finally gonna get laid!" The apparent leader, sea-foam hair kid, laughed.

"Hey Youji, isn't that his patient?" The other giggled. "I don't think you're supposed to do that!"

"I'm seriously going to kill you two one day," Soubi growled.

Ritsuka tugged at his sleeve, "Who are they?"

"Two accidents and dangers to humanity."

"Hey!" The two said in unison.

"I think we're technically _experiments_ and dangers to humanity," Sea-foam said. The other nodded in agreement.

"Wait," Ritsuka said, looking back at Soubi, as he registered what he had said. "These two are your _kids_?"

"Hell no," Soubi replied, looking taken aback and faintly disgusted. "That's Natsou and Youji. Youji's the leader and Natsou's the other one. They're Nagisa's experiments. She's the scientist. A while back she got secret funding to make humans that felt no pain, and, well, these two _failures _are the result of that experiment. They feel no pain, and yet, they're two annoying little bastards."

"Soubi lets us sleep at his apartment sometimes because Nagisa doesn't take care of us," Natsou said sadly. Youji shook his head in agreement. "So are you two gonna continue, or what?"

Ritsuka noticed they were in a very odd position. Soubi still had one of his hands under his shirt, resting against his chest, and Ritsuka was pressed as close to the wall as possible with his arms still looped around Soubi's neck. Blushing, Ritsuka gently pushed Soubi away.

"Get out of here, you two," Soubi ordered. "Aren't you two supposed to be on patrol? Get on it!"

"Fine, fine," Youji agreed grudgingly. "See you around, kid," He waved to Ritsuka as they walked off into the distances.

"Its getting late," Soubi told Ritsuka. "Your dorm isn't far from here. Do you need me to walk you the rest of the way?

"No," Ritsuka moved out of the alleyway. "I'll be fine. Will I see you tomorrow?" He fought the urge not to look at him in embarrassment.

"Probably," Soubi put his hand on Ritsuka's shoulder, coming up behind him. "Call me if anything happens."

Soubi watched Ritsuka walk away from him towards the dorm. Natsou and Youji, the two menaces that lived part-time with him due to Nagisa's neglect, had gone off into the shadows somewhere, leaving him completely alone.

_Should I follow Ritsuka? _Soubi wondered if he should for a brief moment. His thoughts drifted to Ai jumping him and Ritsuka. Ai was a psychiatric patient of his who had been put into the institution three years earlier under the claims of physical abuse from her guardians. Midori was the son of a teacher. The two had bonded and Ai had found her first friend.

Then, Ai disappeared. Midori and those who were close to her were interrogated thoroughly, since it was the very first disappearance of a student and only a couple weeks after Seimei's murder. She'd wandered back onto the beach three months later, completely psychotic and altered. Someone had been giving her illegal drugs and banned procedures had been performed on her brain. Soubi was assigned to her case, and Midori seemed to be the only person who could calm her down.

Soubi's phone buzzed in his pocket, distracting him from the mystery of Ai's disappearance and the source of her delusions. A message from Ritsu flashed on the screen.

_Nagisa is calling an emergency meeting on actual terms_

_Get to the Septimal Moon conference room now before Seven procures the perimeters. _

_-Ritsu_

The lack of a greeting or any of Ritsu's usual sexual references made Soubi think that he was probably actually serious. Had something happened? Why would Nagisa, of all people, call an emergency conference? The last one the council had had was on the night Seimei's body was discovered. The meetings had to be called on real terms or else Ritsu would refuse to send out the message.

Turning his back to Ritsuka's disappearing body, Soubi hurried off in the other direction towards the main building. The main building was seven floors high, with a large conference room at the top. The seventh floor was reserved for the Septimal Moon board members, as that's where some of their offices were, along with a few of their homes. The main building also harboured the primary school (the first and second floors), many therapist offices, a small medical clinic, and a closed off third and fourth floors for the dorms of the low-priority insane and criminally insane.

The institution was bigger than it seemed at first glance. It looked big when in reality it was huge. The two towers on either side of the main building were home to many of the students. Behind the main building were little independent shops and tiny offices. A little farther off were the combined middle school and high school and the staff apartments. Other student dorms were scattered around, tiny and infrequent, and mostly housing older kids.

Soubi didn't live in the staff building for his own reasons. Firstly, all the teachers and orderlies were there, many of which he didn't care for. Secondly, Ritsu lived there. Soubi had had an apartment built adjunct to his office so that he could be in solitude. He could also be closer in the case of an emergency meeting ever being called, as it was at that moment.

Soubi didn't bother with waiting for the elevator, and instead went straight for the stairs. He could hear a desperate weeping as soon as he hit the sixth floor, and immediately assumed it was Nagisa. _What's going on?_ He wondered to himself as he tried to locate the conference room. _What could have made Ritsu call a meeting this quickly?_

Nagisa was bawling in Seven's arms, not even stopping to look at Soubi as he entered, shocked at the sight. For once, she was a mess. Her blue hair was pulled out of her pigtails, her dress a crumpled, dirt-stained mess. Soubi had never seen her look this bad in his life. Chouma was also trying to help Nagisa with Kio standing off to the side. Ritsu glanced at Soubi as made his way to his seat.

"What's going on?"

Ritsu sighed, motioning for everyone to sit down, "Koya and Yamato have disappeared."

* * *

First thing's first! That 'Don't tell me these two are your kids' line is a running joke between me and one of my friends.

See, I had this freaking hilarious (and very weird) dream where Soubi had two kids and the mother hated him. Yeah, I just had to slip some joke in about that.

I stopped naming the chapters, by the way, and I put the roman numerals at the top of every chapter!

Oh and take a look at my new poll! Its "who's your 3 favorite Mind Maps characters?" make sure to stop by and vote!

And review, please! I love all the reviews on here! I really do work hard on this story!

Special thanks to my beta, Summer-flower-girl!

~Wolfie


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

**VII**

"_What_?" Soubi's eyes went wide as his mind registered the magnitude of the news. Sure, there had been disappearances throughout the year, but none of them had hit any of the six on this sort of personal level until now. That was how they had been able to put off deciding what to do, or even talking about how the taken students and Seimei's death were connected. But now they had to talk about it.

Koya and Yamato were Nagisa's two adopted daughters, and Natsou and Youji's sisters. Nagisa actually cared for them, unlike her two experiments. She bragged about them often and they were her only company. They hadn't lived with her but, besides Seven, they were the only ones who would visit her. To lose her two daughters would crush Nagisa.

The other disappearances had all been connected to them in some way, but never on this level. The kidnapper had gone too far this time.

"Tell him what happened, Nagisa," Ritsu told her.

Nagisa looked up, tears streaming down her face, and glared at Soubi. She stood, slamming her hands on the table, her chair rolling backwards a few feet. "I'll tell you what happened," She raged directly at him. "_He _took them. He snatched them when he had no fucking right to! He's-!"

"Nagisa," Ritsu hissed. "Sit down and stop yelling!"

"Don't tell me what to do, Ritsu!" Nagisa snapped at him.

"Until you calm down, this meeting has ended," Ritsu dismissed them and gathered his papers.

"NO!" five of them turned to the voice. Chouma had stood, her eyes a blazing. "No more putting this off! We can't leave it be any more! We need to deal with this _now_!"

Ritsu was struggling to regain order, "Chouma, sit down! All of you-!"

"Shut up for once, Ritsu, and let me talk!" Chouma yelled at him. She had a way of getting what she wanted or what she felt was right, and that way was taking control of the situation. "We have to do this now. There's no choice. Tonight's the night we make a decision, whether we like it or not. We all know who did this."

"Seimei," Nagisa growled.

"Show your proof," Ritsu ordered.

"We don't need any goddamn proof!" Chouma snapped. "Everyone knows he's alive." With the exclusion of Soubi, everyone nodded in agreement. Even Kio, who shot an unsure side glance at him as he did so.

"Wait," Ritsu calmly held up his hand. "I would like to say something, just for a moment. What do you think, Soubi-kun?"

**Listen to them, Soubi.**

"Yes, what do you think?" Nagisa sneered. "You were the one who saw him last."

Soubi's heart beat franticly and his breathing quickened. Seimei's voice was loud, echoing in his ears. This was driving insane. He was hearing voices, just like some of the idiots he saw. This put him on the same level as them.

"I-I don't know," He mumbled.

**Open your eyes, moron. Can't you see it?**

"Open your eyes," Seven said, speaking the words in his head only moments before. "Look at the world around you. How can you not see it? Make up your mind."

"Make up your mind _now_," Chouma added.

Soubi looked up at them, his appearance clearly a mess. "He's alive." _And he's in my head_, He wanted to add. "And the only way to stop him is to kill him."

* * *

A tall man stood beside his sadistic companion, watching him watch a meeting through a bug placed on someone. A girl's screams faded into the background, as she was in the room next to them. A black haired girl sat in the corner, gagged and bound to the wall behind her. Her pink blouse was cut open, exposing her white bra. Her glasses were dirty and crooked on the bridge of her nose, but useless due to her tightly-shut eyes.

"Eh, Seimei," The standing man said to the more refined one. Long black strands of his hair hung down past his waist and his soft-looking face was alit by the screens in front of the pair. The girl's eyes opened at the sound of his voice, and she began struggling again. She twisted her arms, attempting to get out of the restraints that held her arms to the wall behind her. She gave up soon, though, and slumped back down against it.

"Yes, Nisei?" Seimei said, irritation showing in his tone.

"I'm not sure if I understand," Nisei replied. "Could you explain it to me again?" The girl's eyes widened and she sat up a little, careful not to make too much sound as to alert the two men.

"I faked my death because I want to take down Septimal Moon-"

"I got that," Nisei interrupted rudely. "But why?"  
"Shut up and let me explain," Seimei ordered. Nisei rolled his eyes but shank back a little. "I have a bit of technology I had to test out, as you have seen. This will become vital in my ulterior plan. I'm going to implant my own board and take everything from Ritsuka. I'll be the only one he has to run to. Then, with him at my side, I'll be able to move in for the final step to my end plan."

Nisei raised an eyebrow at him, "And your ulterior plan is…?"

"Quiet, Nisei!" Seimei turned his full attention back to the control board in front of him. "Go try to get answers out of the girls again. I don't care what you have to do to them, I need information."

Nisei's grin glinted in the computer glow and he moved to unchain the cowering girl in the corner.

* * *

Soubi kicked the door hard, busting it open and off of one its hinges. He had grown frustrated with attempting to find the right key in the dark and had just resolved to breaking the door open. He was in the library, in the records section that was only open to authorized personnel. Soubi was one of those persons, but the records room was only open during the regular library hours, which did not include 2 AM.

The records room was a huge room which was in the basement level of the library. It held the case of every single student who had ever come to the institution. Soubi wanted ten out of about a million tightly-packed files. It was a good thing that they were in alphabetical order.

Entering the room, Soubi closed what was left of the door and locked it behind him. He flipped on the lights, watching each flicker on all the way down the long room. Sighing, Soubi started on finding all the files he needed.

Sitting on the floor towards the front of the room, Soubi spread the fourteen files all around him. Ten were cases were connected, two he believed to be next, and the other two were Soubi's own profile and Ritsuka's. Ai, Ginka, Kinka, Koya, Yamato, Mei, Mimuro, Yurio, Nakahira, and Hideo. They all had one thing in common; every one of them had been taken. Ai, Mei, and Kinka were the three survivors that had been returned. Pieces of Ginka's body had been found three months previous strewn across the beach. Mimuro was presumably alive. Koya and Yamato's conditions were unknown. Yurio and Hideo were working with their kidnappers, for they had been transmitting the occasional cryptic message. Nakahira was being held against his will, but alive and well.

They were all connected to the seven/six members on the board and had all possessed both a strong will and valuable information. Midori was Seven's trainee and sometimes came to meetings. Ai had been his girlfriend and he confided everything in her. Koya and Yamato were Nagisa's pride and joy. Ginka and Kinka had been Kio's distant cousins, and he had often visited both. Yurio and Hideo had always been two shady characters. They were tied for the second best student in the school and had both been befriended by Seimei. Mei was the top student, and also a patient Chouma had bonded with the most.

Nakahira's case was the most interesting of all. Soubi remember him as Seimei's mentor and predecessor. He wasn't much older than Soubi, making him Seimei's senior by less than five years. Something had compelled him to step down from his position, despite being only twenty-one and hand it off to Seimei, for reasons nobody knew. Messages Yurio and Hideo had sent back contained images of him healthy and looking as if he was the caretaker of them.

Soubi had used a certain formula to try to determine the next victim. His profiling intelligence told him that the kidnapper was prone to taking two at a time, and those two had to be very closely connected, if not in a relationship or related. They had to be in direct contact with one or more of the board members. And last of all, they had to be privy to classified information. Using these four points, Soubi had come up with which two would be next. To his devastation, his calculations led straight to Natsou and Youji.

Soubi stared at the fourteen files spread out around him. The time was now. He had to face it. Seimei was alive. Seimei was alive and screwing with Soubi's head. Seimei was alive and he was taking students. He was taking students, experimenting on them, and then killing them or returning them. He was operating illegally on students and making them sicker than they were. He wasn't supposed to be alive but he was.

_Kidnapped by Seimei. _Soubi wrote the three words in the ten victims' files. The red underlined words stood out against the bland black ink on the rest of the page. The only words that mattered on the pages were the ones that Soubi had just written. Seimei was…alive.

* * *

The moment Kio saw the door to the case room told Kio exactly where his friend was. Soubi had left the board meeting silently the previous night. Kio had gone to his apartment looking for him at seven the next morning, and upon finding it empty, had embarked on r long journey to try to find Soubi. The time was now two pm. His last stop had been the library, where he'd seen the half-broken down door that was obviously the work of Soubi.

He unlocked the latched door to find Soubi towards the front of the room, fast asleep on the floor, files spread out around him. He looked like a mess and extremely stressed.

Curiously, Kio stooped and picked up one of the files. _Kidnapped by Seimei _was written at the bottom in Soubi's handwriting. At a closer inspection, the same went for nine more of the files. Kio glanced back at Soubi, understanding that what had been said the night before had really shook him up.

"Soubi," Kio said, kneeling and shaking Soubi's sleeping body.

"…what? Where…?" Soubi sat up, holding his head in one hand.

"In the records room," Kio finished for him. "Your head hurt?" Concerned for his friend, he pressed the back of his hand against Soubi's forehead.

"Like hell. Damn… what time is it?"

"Two. You've got a slight fever," Kio stated, feeling a slight abnormal rise of heat on Soubi's skin. "Give me your wrist."

"Pm?"

"Pm. How long have you been here?" Kio felt for Soubi's pulse on his wrist.

"Since two? I can't remember what time I fell asleep at. There's nothing wrong with me. Stop that," Soubi ordered as Kio pressed down when he'd found the beat.

"Ritsu ordered me to do this everyday," Kio reminded him. "Especially on the days you wake up with a headache." When Kio had told Ritsu of Soubi's constant headaches, he had ordered him to do a checkup on Soubi everyday to make sure nothing would change or be out of the ordinary.

"Why should we listen to that bastard anyways? Where's Chouma?"

Kio looked straight into Soubi's eyes, willing him to finally tell him what his problem with Ritsu was. Yeah, Ritsu was a bitchy bastard. He liked to order everyone around and yell at them, but Soubi's problem with him went way beyond that. He hated him and everything he did. Soubi could barely even stand to be in the same room as Ritsu.

"Doing the same thing as I was; looking for you. Push against my hand," Kio ran the same tests every day but something was off today. Soubi's core temperature was higher than usual, his pulse a bit quicker. Something was off, and it wasn't anything normal.

"I ran the same tests on Ritsuka yesterday," Soubi said, pushing against his hand.

"You're a bit weaker today, Sou-chan," Kio noticed how Soubi smiled a bit when he said Ritsuka's name. "Tell me about him."

"Ritsuka…" Soubi said his name again, this time pausing and smiling for real. "He's… nothing like Seimei." Soubi touched his lips, still smiling slightly and clearly remembering something.

"Do you want to… take a ride?" Kio offered, holding out his car keys. "We can go to a bar or something. You know, to get away from all this." Soubi didn't have his own car, so to go anyplace he usually had to go with Kio.

"Hell no. I hate crowds. So much stupid in one place isn't good. Actually," He took the keys from Kio's hand. At least Soubi was _acting _normal. "Grab Chouma. I'll meet you down in the parking lot in fifteen minutes." Looking a little unbalanced, Soubi lifted himself off the floor, gripping onto the front of one of the shelves to keep himself steady.

"…yeah. Fifteen minutes," Kio glanced away from his friend, knowing that whatever was wrong with him was only getting worse.

* * *

Ritsuka checked the number on his class schedule one last time before pushing the door open and stepping into the classroom. Twenty cat-eared heads turned to look at him, along with the teacher, Shinonome-Sensei.

"Ritsuka!" She exclaimed. "I was expecting you yesterday! What happened?"

Ritsuka smiled, putting on a very happy front for them. His thoughts wandered for a brief moment to Soubi, the person he just been himself for. For everyone else, Ritsuka would be somebody else.

"I got… held up?" Ritsuka said it as more of a question then an answer. Not wanting any further questions, Ritsuka brushed past her, taking his place in an empty seat next to a familiar pink-haired girl. Yuiko's face turned red as he did so and she buried her face in her math book.

"Hey," Ritsuka whispered to her. Her face still red, she turned to him and made a tiny squeaking noise of acknowledgement. "Let's try to be friends."

"R-Ritsuka-kun?" She stammered louder than she was supposed to. Several kids turned around and glared or shushed her.

"Shush!" Ritsuka told her franticly. "I don't want to get caught! Listen, you just have to agree to a couple things."

"Yuiko understands!"

"Be quiet!" Ritsuka snapped, glancing up at the teacher who had taken no notice quite yet. "First of all, stop referring to yourself in third person. And you have to tell me why you're here." Ritsuka was curious. She didn't seem insane or criminal, just dumb. What could be her true reason for being at the institution?

"Yes! Yui-I mean I will tell you after class!" She grinned and finally dropped her voice. "Want to go down to one of the cafés after class?"

"There's cafés on campus?" Never had Ritsuka been to an institution like this. It wasn't like a hospital at all! It was more like a city than anything, but Ritsuka could see how this environment would help kids and teens more than the usual dull locked-up place.

"Sure! There's lots of shops and places to go!" Yuiko blabbered. "Ritsuka-kun, do you have a cell phone? Who's your favorite idol?"

Zoning out, Ritsuka tuned out her mindless chatter and focused on the world outside the window he sat next to. His thoughts wondered to the mysterious blonde doctor he'd gotten to know in the past couple days. Just the way Soubi looked at him with those blue eyes made Ritsuka's heart flutter slightly and his face go red. He saved him from his mother and took him into him home to care for him. He kissed him gently and held him in his strong, protecting arms. Ritsuka maybe… had a little crush on him?

"Ritsuka-kun," Yuiko pulled on his arm at the end of class. "Let's go! Oh, we should invite Yayoi-san, too!" Ritsuka followed her out the door, hearing the teacher tell the class goodbye. Some girls stayed back to talk to her.

"Ritsuka!" A hand grabbed onto his suddenly, and Ritsuka recognized the grip and voice easily.

"S-Soubi!" Ritsuka turned around to face the tall blonde who was waiting right outside his classroom. His appearance was disheveled again and he looked paler than usual.

"Who's this, Ritsuka-kun?" Yuiko asked, coming up behind Ritsuka, curiously looking at Soubi.

"Hello," He greeted cheerfully. "I'm Agatsuma Soubi. And who are you, I may ask?"

"I'm Yuiko!' Yuiko responded. "Say, how old are you?"

"How old _are _you, Soubi?" Ritsuka asked, jumping into the conversation and realizing that he had never asked him himself. "You never told me."

"You never asked, Ritsuka. I'm twenty. I'm the head doctor here, Yuiko. I'm on the Septimal Moon council," Soubi smiled at them and released Ritsuka's hand.

"Really?" Yuiko gasped. "You must be, like, famous then! Wow! I've never met anybody on the council! Risuka-kun is very lucky!"

"Yeah, not really," Ritsuka shook his head. "Why did you come here, Soubi? I'm going someplace with Yuiko now. I can't stay long."

"You can come, too, Soubi-san!" Yuiko offered, overjoyed to have met the doctor.

"I'm sorry Yuiko. You two will have to reschedule your plans," Soubi told her, glancing down at Ritsuka. "I'm going to need Ritsuka for the day. How about on Saturday?"

"What?" Soubi hadn't told Ritsuka of any plans. Why was this so sudden. _Well, he is my doctor_, Ritsuka reminded himself. He probably needed Ritsuka for a therepy session. Or maybe he had come up with a diagnosis. Or worse… What if he hadn't come up with one and was sending him back to his mother?

Ritsuka didn't want to go back to her. She had tried to kill him in their last episode, and she had almost succeeded. She was bound to do it again. Plus, he'd finally found some friends. Septimal Moon institution was more of a home than anything else Ritsuka had ever had.

"Saturday's fine! Will you come with us, Soubi-san?" Yuiko seemed not to catch on with Soubi's subtle glance at Ritsuka.

"If you would like. I have to take Ritsuka now."

Ritsuka waved to Yuiko as Soubi put his arm around him and started towards the door with him. Ritsuka's heart was beating franticly with fear and anticipation as the two walked around the building and out of earshot and sight of anyone out in front.

"Calm down, Ritsuka," Soubi advised. Ritsuka had been walking with his ears folded against his head and his head down. He hadn't come up with any idea as to why else Soubi had wanted to take him.

"W-Where are we going?" Ritsuka's voice shook a little as he spoke.

"Look at me," Soubi tilted the boy's head up, forcing him to do so. "There is nothing wrong with you," His voice sounded soft and reassuring, but it did nothing for the fact the Ritsuka's greatest fear had just been confirmed. Ritsuka tried to pull away but Soubi had too firm of a grip. "Don't run. I'm not sending you back to your mother's."

"What?" Ritsuka's eyes went wide in shock.

"I've got Chouma and Kio waiting for me. We have to hurry before they come looking for me again," Soubi let go and Ritsuka followed him as he walked. "The four of us are going into the library in the nearest town. We're going to fake a diagnosis."

"That's illegal!" Ritsuka snapped. "You can't do that! Besides what town is around here? We're in the middle of nowhere!"

"I can't let you go back with that woman. Do you know what she'll do to you?" They were coming to a parking lot in the back of the main building. Ritsuka recognized Kio and Chouma near one of the cars, waiting for them. "We're going to falsely diagnose you."

"Ritsuka!" Chouma grinned at him as they came closer. "You're coming, too?"

"Where are we going anyways?" Kio questioned, crossing his arms and leaning against the black car while looking Ritsuka up and down.

"We're going to commit fraud," Soubi said, going to the driver's side of the car. "Who's in?"

* * *

Hello again!

I have to say that last line is really my favorite. And the 'so much stupid in one place' thing about crowds is what I said to someone a couple days ago.

Updates might be a little slow due to my terrible health issues. Not to rant or anything but I have a fracture that I was born with in my back and the doctors told me that I'm too young to operate. See, I'm in pain from my back and leg everyday, but that's nothing compared to what happened last night. I couldn't even move then. It sucked

So anyways I the updates may be a bit slower.

But I worked hard on this chapter, so please review! and vote on the poll on my page!

Thanks!

~Wolfie


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

**VIII**

"I can not believe I'm doing this," Kio repeated from the seat beside Soubi. "You know what? Let me the hell out of here. I'm not going to be a part of this. I'll get my license taken away."

"We're all in danger of getting our licenses taken away," Soubi pointed out, growing annoyed with having to deal with Kio and drive at the same time. Ritsuka and Chouma were in the backseat. Ritsuka didn't talk much and stared out the window, while Chouma joined their conversation. "And if you try to get out of this car I will handcuff you to your sister."

He had taken Chouma and Kio off to the side before they started and explained to them what they were going to be doing. Kio hadn't objected or really said anything about it at first, but about half-way into the trip it seemed to hit him just how bad it would be if they were to get caught.

"You carry handcuffs with you, Soubi?" Chouma giggled. "I didn't know you were like that."

Soubi rolled his eyes, "I would expect that out of Ritsu, not you. And yes, I do, in case one of my patients attacks. I've had it happen before. Now shut up before I wreck this car."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Kio muttered, just loud enough to be heard. "You're the worst driver. Ever."

"Where are we going, anyways?" Soubi was shocked to identify that voice as Ritsuka's. "I thought the institution was in the middle of nowhere…"

Kio turned around and grinned at Ritsuka, "You ever been to downtown Tokyo?"

"He lives in a suburb a ways away," Soubi told him, remembering what he read on Ritsuka's file.

"No, I haven't. Is that where we're going?"

"Get off here," Chouma pointed out the exit to Soubi and turned her attention back to Ritsuka. "Yes. Toshokan Library is the largest in Tokyo. It's like the Library of Congress in the United States. The medical reference section is huge, so the three of us go here a lot. Its perfect for what we need now."

"Welcome to downtown Tokyo, Ritsuka," Soubi said upon seeing the first high-rise buildings. "Luckily, Toshokan is on the outskirts, so we won't see many crowds or hit much traffic. We should be coming up to it."

"What kind of illness do we need anyway? Can't we just make him an abuse victim or something? Isn't that really what he is?" Kio asked, finally giving up fighting Soubi about making him come.

"If you do that," Ritsuka replied quietly. "My mother will pull me out of here before you can even say anything."

"Okay," Kio thought for a moment. "Then what about OCD or something easy?"

"Ritsuka's been to fourteen different mental hospitals," Chouma put in. "We can't do something that obvious. People will wonder how those fourteen other facilities missed something that clear. We may be smarter, but give them some credit."

"We need to find something that would have flown under the radar," Soubi finished as he pulled into the giant white library's parking lot. "That way nobody will question us. Let's try to get out of here by dark. I cleared all of Kio's and my appointments today. Ritsuka's class wasn't doing anything tonight…"

"And I have the night off," Chouma informed them.

"Right, let's go," Soubi glanced down at Ritsuka, who seemed far away. Soubi felt sorry for him. Ritsuka had been through so much in the past year. Doctors had examined him like a lab-rat. He'd been poked at, prodded at, hell, probably even experimented on. Soubi had read his file forwards and backwards. Ritsuka had had almost every test there was ran on him. No wonder he was touchy when it came to the subject of a diagnosis.

Soubi slipped his arm around the boy's shoulders, earning him a sharp glare from him. "Don't do that in public!" He snapped without much ferociousness.

Soubi grinned, seeing Ritsuka back to his normal state.

* * *

Nisei smirked, seeing the black haired girl in pain and raised the whip again, preparing to mar that pale, perfect skin one more time. A blonde, large-breasted girl sobbed in the background, tied up to a chair and unable to save her girlfriend from Nisei's cruel tactics. He turned to her, that amused gleam still in his eye.

"Are you going to tell me everything about what Septimal Moon is planning to do?" His voice spoke out, darkly, of course, against the near-silence.

"Don't do it Yamato!" The black-haired high schooler told the blonde. She was sprawled on the stone cellar floor, blood pouring out of her wounds, and trying to get up. "You know what will happen if you tell him what Nagisa has been telling us, you know what they'll do! I can take a lot more than this! Don't say-!"

Nisei kicked the girl hard and growled, "Shut up, bitch." She landed against the wall with a soft thud. Nisei looked back at Yamato. He felt no 'regret', no 'love', nothing of the kind. He was a sociopath and the only thing he was feeling was amusement.

"I'll never tell!" Yamato sobbed, hanging her head and closing her eyes. "Koya… Koya… Please don't kill her…"

Nisei grabbed her hair, yanking her head up. He pulled his knife from his back pocket and held it against her throat. "Open your eyes, slut!" She just cried harder and Nisei pressed the knife in just enough to skin.

"Nisei!" A voice called as the door to the cell in the basement opened. An adult in his mid twenties with short brown hair stood there. "Aoyagi-san wants to see you. Shall I take over?"

"Nisei smiled innocently. Not you, Hideo-san. Get Yurio to do it," He walked swiftly past him, feeling Hideo glare at him. Seimei was first in command, but Nisei was in second, leaving Hideo and everyone else below him. He was allowed to order them around to his will. Being a sadist, Nisei exercised that right more then he probably should.

"Hello, Nisei," Seimei greeted, the warm words sounding cold out of his mouth. The group's caretaker, Nakahira, sat beside him, looking upset and grumpy. "You're late."

"Ah, that's not my fault," Nisei said, pulling a chair up across from them. "I came as soon as Hideo told me that you wanted me."

"I'll have to punish him, then," Seimei closed the book he was reading and set in beside him on the table. "Soubi has already guessed who the next victims are. Abort the plan we have to take Natsou and Youji."

"Oh?" Nisei cocked his head to one side. "And how do you know this?"

"Don't question me, Nisei," Seimei growled. "I've told you this before. Have you forgotten? The Reader interprets thoughts put out in brain waves and puts them into words so that I can see them. It's a complicated process. Soubi has developed a formula to guess who the next victims will be. He guessed right."

"Ah, maybe your plan is falling through," Nisei commented, smirking. Seimei stood abruptly, his hand flashing out and the back of it hitting Nisei on the cheek.

"Shut the hell up," Seimei said angrily, watching Nisei stumble backwards after being backhanded. Regaining his composure, Seimei sat back down and waited for Nisei to do the same. "Did you get anything out of the girls?"

"A little. The blonde one-Yamato, is it? - said that Chouma is planning to take Aoyagi Misaki to court for child abuse and attacking her."

"Chouma," Seimei repeated. "She was top of her class in college. She has a master's in psychology and she had law as her minor. I would expect nothing less of her. Make sure that the case gets a corrupt judge and pay him off to have Misaki's case win."

"Understood," Nisei nodded and began to leave.

"And we're moving on to plan SM, or do I need to remind you what that is, also?"

"No, Seimei," Nisei grinned again. "I'll head right over to Septimal Moon."

* * *

Soubi leaned over Ritsuka, who was seated at a table with Kio and Chouma across from him on the second floor of Toshokan Library. He placed a book in front of them all, flipping it open to a random page in the middle.

"Give me ideas," He told the other two doctors. "Anything. Go."

"Let's start with OCD, then," Kio stated, not even looking at the book.

"We already ruled that one out," Soubi pointed out, looking up from his position over the book and Ritsuka. "I meant throw anything out that does not seem stupid or presents itself in obvious ways."

"Capgras Delusion," Chouma offered.

"What's that?" Ritsuka asked, clearly already lost in their medical talk.

"It's where you believe someone has been replaced with an identical looking impostor. Its common in schizophrenic patients," Chouma rolled off, sounding like a textbook.

"Which is why we can't use it," Soubi sighed. "Somebody would have diagnosed that long ago. If you really had it, Ritsuka, you'd be walking around mumbling about someone being replaced. That being said," He glanced back up at the two doctors across from him. "Don't even suggest Fregoli Delusion. That, Ritsuka, is the exact opposite of Capgras, and is where you believe every person is the same person who just changes appearance."

"Munchausen's Syndrome," Kio said suddenly, reading off of the book. "Or, should I say, Munchausen's biproxy Syndrome. That's where somebody does stuff to someone else to put them in the hospital to gain attention. Munchausen's Syndrome is where you do things to yourself to get attention."

"Don't be such an idiot, big brother," Chouma grinned. "Munchausen's Syndrome is just stupid and diagnosing Munchausen's biproxy Syndrome would be diagnosing his mother, which, in the end, would just get him sent off to a foster home."

"I'd rather have that not happened," Ritsuka frowned as Kio huffed with defeat.

"Alice in Wonderland Syndrome?" Chouma suggested. "Nobody would question it, if Ritsuka never told them about seeing things larger or smaller than they really are."

"It's too easy to treat," Soubi said, shooting her down once again. "If I diagnose him with that, I'll have to send him back to his mother." Desperate, he glanced down at the book. "Multiple personality disorder…?" He read aloud and to himself.

_Multiple Personality Disorder_

_Please see Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)._

"Why didn't we think of this before?" He asked the others." We could pull this one off. _Easily_. There's no way in hell we can get caught."

"And how the fucking hell do you think we can do this," Kio reasoned, sounding a bit enraged. "Ritsuka would have to act like a bunch of different people."

"No, he wouldn't. And keep your voice down," Soubi lowered his voice a bit, knowing that if anyone overheard them, they could be turned in to the police. "Look, Ritsuka's mother claims that he is not 'her Ritsuka'." Soubi wanted to chose his words carefully, knowing that Ritsuka could easily take it the wrong way. "We can claim that the other Ritsuka is Ritsuka's other personality, or alter ego, and he only shows up around his mother."

"That's perfect, except for…" Chouma paused for a moment. "What about my court case?"

"Court case?" Ritsuka questioned.

"What case?" Kio demanded.

Chouma looked at Soubi, as if asking him to help her out. "I'm going to court to try too put Ritsuka's mother in jail," She finally said quietly.

"_What_?" Ritsuka exclaimed, wide-eyed. "No! You can't!"

"It doesn't affect your case at all," Soubi told her. "Having an ill child with another personality is no excuse to beat them senseless. We can put him on fake meds administered by Chouma and we keep him here to 'monitor him'. It's a fool-proof plan."

* * *

Nagisa was still depressed. Seven had been staying with her ever since she had found out about Koya and Yamato's disappearances. Although she was Nagisa's only friend, that didn't make it any better. Nagisa still sulked around the large apartment, not even changing out of her pajamas or bothering to put her hair up. Her children were gone. What else could she do?

"Nagisa-tan," Seven called from the kitchen. Nagisa raised her head slightly and looked out of the panes of glass she sat by. The sun was setting over the treetops of the forest, the place where Koya and Yamato had been taken at. Flashes ran through her mind from that night. She placed her hand on the glass, letting her head focus on that.

She had run when she'd found the book deliberately dropped on the forest floor, along with broken pieces of Koya's glasses, a couple buttons from her blouse, and Yamato's bracelet. She knew that they had been taken. The dropped book was one of Seimei's favorites. Her precious daughters. Why them?

She had ran into the forest until she realized she would not find anything. Then she had allowed herself to fall to her knees and cry. Outgoing and kind Yamato. Shy and smart Koya. Her two beloved adopted daughters. Gone.

"Nagisa-tan!" Seven called louder. Sighing, Nagisa got up and shuffled her feet into the kitchen. She had never felt this old and tired. She felt fifty, which, frankly, would usually scare the shit out of the thirty year-old. Why should she care now, though?

Seven thrust a cup of coffee at her and had her sit down at her kitchen table. "Enough of your depressed mood," Seven said lightly and happily. "You look old."

Nagisa nearly spit out her coffee, "Did you just call me _old_?"

"There's some of your old spirit." Ugh. Seven could be so happy-go-lucky. Was Nagisa always like this, too?

Seven moved behind her and ran her fingers through her knotty hair, parting it into two sections. She carefully lifted each and tied it up with a bright pink ribbon. She clasped her hands together when she was done, "You look _much_ better now. Ritsu wants you to teach some of your classes tonight."

"No," Nagisa said, not wanting to do anything at all.

"Do it or you'll have to go to the clinic with Soubi and Kio tomorrow," Seven taunted. "You know, your biology students have really missed you while I've been subbing."

Nagisa smiled, starting to feel a little better, "What'd they do to you?"  
"The boys threw stuff at me and the girls made fun of me. And Natsou and Youji wrecked havoc on me."

Nagisa touched her lips, thinking of her two boys. They were experiments, but still her children. She often neglected them, but didn't feel bad since they had found someone to take care of them. She felt terrible now, knowing that she failed at being their mother. How had she never realized it?

A knocking at the door interrupted her thought process. Much to Seven's delight, she moved to get the door. A tall man with black waist-length hair, a soft face, and dark brown eyes stood in her doorway.

"Are you Sagan Nagisa?" He asked politely.

"Yes," Nagisa studied him. She'd never seen this man before in her life. "And who are you, I may ask?"

"I'm Akame Nisei," He told her, bowing to show his respect. "And I'm here to apply for Aoyagi Seimei's old job."

* * *

It had been two days since Ritsuka had last seen Soubi. Two days since he'd gotten his fake diagnosis. It was Friday. Ritsuka had finally began adjusting to life at the institution. It was a carefree environment, one that kids had the freedom to roam around. Some kids had therapists, others had group therapy. The grounds were safe and secure so that nobody could get in or out without permission. They had chores to do and every morning the kids who needed them had a medical doctor issue them medication. To his surprise, over half of the kids took meds.

Every morning, Ritsuka would go down into the common room on the first floor and would see Chouma waiting for him, usually telling stories to other kids. She would give him his fake pills, but today, today she slipped a note into his hand. Ritsuka had waited to read it until he was in class.

Yuiko sat beside him, reading out of a small chapter book. The kids in his class were all supposed to be doing what she was, free reading, but Ritsuka was slyly unfolding the note underneath his desk.

_Ritsuka-_

_I've heard you've been asking around about sector three. _

_Go to Soubi's office after class._

_-Chouma_

Sector three. Ritsuka had been asking around about it after Soubi had said something to Ai about it. Not many of the kids his age had known anything about it, so he'd asked the adults. They didn't want to talk at all. Then, the day before, Ritsuka had spotted green-haired Midori out on the lawn in front of the main building and had asked him. All Midori had said was that they kept the craziest, most criminal people there and that, if Ritsuka could help it, to never set foot in that place. That just made Ritsuka even more curious.

What did Soubi have to do with anything? Why had Chouma put that part in her note? The two sentences seemed totally unrelated to Ritsuka, but maybe they weren't. Maybe Soubi would tell him something about sector three. Ritsuka would just have to wait until school got out.

"Who's next?" Soubi asked Kio, bored out of his mind. They were working in the clinic together, since a few of the doctors had taken their vacation time. Fridays was Soubi and Kio's day off, the day neither had to see anybody. They were doctors, not just psychiatrists, so both were over-qualified and able to work in the clinic.

Over a three thousand kids, ages five to nineteen were at the institution. Plus there were five hundred staff members and even more orderlies and security. They had to have a building as a hospital with a clinic in it so they could treat whatever colds a patient had.

"Yu… Watkins? Sounds partially American. He's new here."

"Great," Soubi hated working in the hospital in general. "Let's get this over with."

Kio nodded and lead him to examine room B. A black haired boy sat on the examination table with a binder beside him, waiting for them. He looked normal, unlike some of the other patients he'd seen in the last few days he and Kio had been working the clinic.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Kaidou Kio," Kio greeted happily. Soubi frowned and leaned on the counter, crossing his arms and examining the boy with his eyes. "Tell me, why are you here today?"

"I…um," The boy stopped and thought for a moment. "My leg hurts."

"Where?" Kio inquired, pulling his file out and noting something down on it. "I see you're new here. There's nothing in your file at all, not even medical history. Yu, have you ever been to a doctor?"

"Yes…" The boy pulled something out of the binder. "That's my medical records. Sorry that I couldn't get them directly sent here. Its pain shooting down the back of my leg and the front. It always stops at my knee."

Kio took the folder from him, "How long has this been happening?"

"Awhile…" He said. "The old doctors used to give me pain meds. Embeda, in fact."

"Why'd they take you off of it?" Soubi asked, knowing this was sounding a little bit suspicious. The pain he was describing, something about it made Soubi think he was lying through his teeth.

"I had to go off of it when I came here. Who are you?" It was true that everyone had to go off their meds when they came to the institution.

"Agatsuma Soubi, I'm the highest doctor here. I'm not surprised that you haven't heard of me."

"Let's just say that you never want to meet him," Kio commented light-heartedly. "I guess we're going to have to put you back on the meds. Sign this form and it'll be done," Kio held out his clipboard and a pen to the kid and his records to Soubi. Quickly looking down at the records, he noticed that the handwriting seemed a little… off. He glanced at Yu, who was printing his name on the line. Of course! Why hadn't he seen it sooner.

"Not so fast, kid," Soubi growled, snatching the clipboard from Yu's hands. He would mentally beat himself up later for not seeing it sooner, but now he had to deal with Yu.

"What the hell-?" Yu started.

"Lock the door, Kio," Soubi nodded to awestruck Kio. "If it had been any other doctor, you would've gotten away with it, huh, kid?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Yu stammered.

"You're a drug addict. You faked those records and you deleted the old records," Soubi moved in front of him in case he needed to be restrained. "Smart, but not smart enough."

"Soubi, how the hell do you conclude that?" Kio questioned from off to the side. "Don't make crazy assumptions."

"Look at the handwriting on those forms, Kio," Soubi looked away from the kid and, as soon as he finished talking knew he shouldn't have. A blow came to the side of his face, knocking him off balance.

"If I don't get those pills," Yu turned his rage towards Kio and hopped off the table. "I'll die." He ran straight for the green-haired doctor, throwing himself at him and knocking him off of his feet. He clawed at Kio, drawing blood from his arms and face. Soubi, knowing Kio had absolutely no fighting instincts or experience, shoved Yu off of him, fighting him to the ground.

"Give me the fucking form!" Yu screamed, scratching and hitting at every part of Soubi he could.

"Give me a sedative!" Soubi hissed to Kio, trying to keep the kid down. A blow to his stomach delivered by Yu's knee knocked him off of the teen. Yu took that moment to grab the form, which was on the floor, and scramble towards the door. Still recovering, Soubi grabbed his foot, managing to trip Yu to the ground.

"Which sedative? Where is it?" Kio was obviously panicking.

Soubi moved to try to pin Yu down again, "Lithium! It's in the very top counter! Hurry up!" Yu must have been going through withdrawal because he was acting like an animal. He bit, scratched, and hit and kicked as much as he could.

"Found it!" Kio gave Soubi a large needle with liquid medication in it.

"No!" Yu shrieked, trying one last vain attempt to escape. Soubi stuck the needle hard into the one place where a vein would definitely be hit, Yu's neck. His eyes went wide for a moment and they slowly closed as he went limp.

**You should've seen that much earlier, Soubi. Kio probably got hurt because of you.**

"Soubi!" Kio yelled as Soubi fell off to the side of Yu. His vision doubled and his head hurt like someone was driving nails into his skull. Bright lights met his doubled vision and the pain radiated down his spine. He tried to sit up but ended up only half accomplishing it because more pain shot through his head.

"Soubi! Can you hear me? Soubi!" Kio was at his side immediately when he fell back onto the tile floor. Soubi shut his eyes, trying to keep the bright lights out.

"Why is it so bright all of the sudden?" Soubi mumbled, knowing that it was coming out very slurred and broken.

"Damn! You're having a migraine!" Kio shook him, trying to get him to come out of his semi conscious state. Soubi groaned as the pain in his head only worsened. "I need to get you up to a hospital room! What's happening to-!"

Without fighting it, Soubi slipped into blackness, seeking only an escape for the pain.

* * *

Hello again~

Toshokan literally means library, so Toshokan Library actually means Library Library. Ha ha I thought I was being funny when I came up with that. It is not an actual library.

I really love it when people review. It helps me go on with my writing, because I know that people are actually reading it. I really apprciate you taking the time to write a couple words for me :) Thank you, everybody.

Please review and vote on my poll if you have the time,

~Wolfie

PS I put something on my page that says the status of all my on-going stories. If you ever want to check how I'm doing on chapter nine, just go check there :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter nine**

**IX**

Ritsu-Sensei had a side no one but Soubi knew about. A violent side. A sadistic side. Ritsu told Soubi to become just like him; to show no emotion, to withstand outstanding amounts of pain. He did many things to ensure Soubi would be like this. Eight years later, the scars are still visible on his back from the whip Ritsu used on him almost every day.

Later he would hypothesize about how Ritsu had gotten into his room, or even in the dorm. Then again, he probably had a master key. Maybe not. Who knew? Soubi had abruptly awoken chained to his bed with someone on top of him. He remembers jerking against the chains, attempting to get out, trying the hardest he could.

A voice had laughed and whispered in his ear smelling strongly of alcohol, "I'll make it more painful if you fight, Soubi-kun." It was Ritsu. Ritsu-Sensei. His teacher. Soubi didn't need Ritsu to spell it out for him. He knew he was about to get raped. He went limp, tears filling his eyes, making his vision blurry. _Just let it all end soon. _Ritsu-Sensei's eyes glinted in the darkness, a sadistic, cold, lustful look in them that made Soubi want to cry all the more.

"Please, don't," He had begged, his young voice coming out in a tiny squeak.

"Do you know how long I've wanted this?" Ritsu asked, unbuttoning the shirt Soubi had been sleeping in. His bit down harshly on a sensitive spot on his neck, making Soubi cry out. "You look so much like your mother." He kissed him roughly, biting his lip and tongue.

If Soubi could've used his hands, he would have shoved his teacher away without even caring about the consequences. He tried to push what Ritsu was doing out of his mind as he lay, helpless and defenceless. He thought of his mother and father. He barely remembered them but he still felt love for them. They had taken care of him and taught him about everything, and not in the way Ritsu did. They had never scolded him when he got something wrong and had praised him when he did something right. Why did they have to die?

Ritsu ran his nails down Soubi's bare chest. He could feel his teacher's hardness pressing against his leg and could hear him moaning as he finally stopped kissing Soubi. Blood ran down his lips and into his mouth, tasting of rust. Soubi could no longer block Ritsu out. He could feel him all around him, every move he made exaggerated by Soubi's senses. The air was thick, thick enough to almost suffocate Soubi as he breathed it in.

"Sensei…Sensei…Please stop," He tried again. He knew it wouldn't work. There was no stopping Ritsu. He let out the first sob when Ritsu yanked his pants and boxers down, pushing a finger into him. Soubi had cried out, his voice raising an entire octave when Ritsu had roughly thrust himself in, not caring whether Soubi was ready yet. He started moving, and it was a pain Soubi had never even thought possible. He felt like his insides were being torn in two. A warm liquid suddenly filled him and Soubi wasn't sure whether in was Ritsu's semen or the blood. Probably both. He cried and cried, even after Ritsu collapsed beside him, telling him to go back to sleep.

"Ah!" Soubi sat up breathing heavily and sweating. He'd relived that night over and over in his dreams, but it had never been as real as that one had. Every detail had been exactly as it had been, as if it was taken right out of Soubi's memories.

An annoying beeping filled his ears, fast and irregular. He realized that it was his heart-rate, which had just sky-rocketed to a dangerous fast beat. He was in a hospital room. He breathed harder still, trying to calm himself down.

"Settle down, Soubi. You're going to give yourself a heart attack," A voice said from somewhere off to the side. Soubi looked to see Kio sitting in one of the chairs off against the right wall with Ritsuka next to him, asleep on his shoulder.

"What… why are you two here?" Soubi ran his fingers through his hair, trying to pull out any knots. "More importantly, why am _I _here?"

Kio, cautious of a sleeping Ritsuka, got up and walked over to him. He grabbed a mini flashlight off of the nurses' cart in the corner and shone it straight into his eyes. Soubi, being as blind as he was in the first place, looked away.

"Stop that!" He protested, swatting the light away/

"Who are you?" Kio asked in a stern tone.

"Are you serious?" Soubi gave him a dirty look but the expression on Kio's face told him he meant business. "Agatsuma Soubi. And I know who you are, too."

"Where are you?" Kio wasn't giving up, though Soubi knew it was for the best.

"At Septimal Moon," Soubi answered.

"What is Septimal Moon?"

Soubi frowned, giving his friend a glare, "An institution. I've been here since I was four, Kio; I'm not going to forget it easily."

"Good. Try to get up," Kio stepped back as Soubi moved to try to do what he said. The ground was cold and Soubi felt dizzy. He took one step forward, stumbled, and started to fall.

"Damn," Soubi cussed as Kio caught him before he fell to the ground.

"Get back in bed before you faint again," Kio ordered, helping him back to the hospital bed. "You've been asleep for about nine hours; it's eleven pm now."

Soubi tried to recall what had landed him in the hospital. He was in the clinic… And then there was that druggie, Yu. And then The Voice. With The Voice always came more and more pain. He must have fainted from it and Kio must've gotten him up to a hospital room.  
"You were talking in your sleep," Kio commented quietly, as not to risk Ritsuka awakening. When Soubi looked at him in surprise, he added, "I sent Ritsuka out of the room whenever you started up again. I assumed whatever you were dreaming about wasn't for his ears."

"No, it wasn't," Soubi told him sadly. "How much did you hear?"

"I couldn't make out a lot of it," Kio thought for a moment. "It was mostly just 'Ritsu' or 'Ritsu-Sensei' and the word 'no'."

"That sounds about right," Soubi saw the brief look of curiosity on Kio's face. "You want to know what happened, don't you? You want to know why I hate Ritsu so much. He took my ears when I was twelve."

Kio looked like he was going to say something, when Ritsuka woke up and stretched, looking to see Soubi awake.

"Hello, Ritsuka," Soubi smiled at the boy. "I'm sorry about today."

"Are you… alright?" Ritsuka drowsily walked to the bedside. "Kio brought me here when I came to your office. Sorry I fell asleep."

"Agatsuma Soubi!" A loud voice yelled from the hallway, followed by the clicking of a woman's shoes. Chouma strode in dressed formally in a black short dress and quite high heels. Soubi cringed from her voice; the migraine had brought on ultra-sensitivity to sounds. She stopped in the just inside the doorway and put her hands on her hips. "Could you have picked a worse time to almost die?"

The three in the room got a better look at her. She must've been at some high-class gathering since she had her hair up and twisted into a mound that looked sort of like a bun. She had jewellery on, a purse, the whole nine yards. Soubi barely recognized her.

"It was just a migraine," Soubi retorted.

Kio was staring at his sister with a gaping mouth, "Where have _you_ been?"

"A convention dinner for experimental psychologists. I was giving a speech when _your _call interrupted me," She took one of the white doctor's coats from the hook behind the door and put it one. "What have they got you on?"

"He's on morphine," Kio answered for Soubi. "The doctor- some American guy named Birkman- said it would kill the pain."

Chouma looked at the clipboard hung on the bed, flipping through it quickly, "What symptoms do you have right now?"

Ritsuka was still at Soubi's side, seeming confused again, "Is he okay? Is he having another attack?"

"Are you worried about me, Ritsuka?" Soubi asked the teen. He had that tone in his voice. Soubi would know if he was lying, even if his mind was fogged over a bit from the drugs.

"N-No!" Ritsuka said, blushing heavily. "A-actually yes."

Did that mean that Ritsuka cared about him? Soubi was suddenly reminded of Ritsu. Being around Ritsuka… kissing him, hugging him, getting so close to him in that alleyway four days ago… Was Soubi turning out just like Ritsu?

Soubi wasn't stupid. He knew the statistics. People who were abused in any way as kids are at high risk to do the same to their kids or kids close to them. Seimei had ordered him to love Ritsuka, but Soubi wasn't sure if he was doing it because Seimei had told him to do so right before he died. Was he going to end up raping Ritsuka, just as Ritsu had done to him?

"Symptoms…" He thought for a moment. "Uh, I'm tired, I still have hyper-sensitive hearing, my vision in worse than usual in my left eye."

Chouma stared at him for a second and walked to the doorway, poking her head out into the hallway. "I need Vicodin, stat! I have a patient about to suffer a migraine attack!"

**I have complete control over the pain center of your brain. There's nothing she can do to change that. I can put you in so much pain, you'll ****_want_**** to die.**

There wasn't a thing Soubi could do to stop the onset of pain again and almost immediately passing out.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Yuiko," Ritsuka apologized to his pink-haired friend. "I have to go down to the hospital to visit someone." It was the end of another school day. Ritsuka had stayed up late the previous night in the waiting room after being ushered out of Soubi's room when his heart rate had spiked. Kio had walked him back to his dorm, not saying anything about Soubi's condition, at midnight. Chouma had been there in the morning looking exhausted to give Ritsuka his meds. She had left in a hurry.

"Who are you visiting, Ritsuka?" Yuiko questioned, skipping alongside him as he left the dorm building they were both in.

"Soubi," Ritsuka looked at the ground as he said the doctor's name. He was worried about him, but he would never admit that to anyone. A large white envelope stuck out of his coat pocket, surprisingly not drawing Yuiko's attention.

"What happened?" Yuiko squeaked. "Is he alright?"

"I-I don't know," Ritsuka was desperately searching for a way to change the topic. "You know, you've never told me about why you're here," Ritsuka pointed out while trying to remember where the hospital was. It was behind the main building, but just how far back was it?

"Oh!" Yuiko exclaimed, reaching up into her hair. Ritsuka was shocked to watch her remove her ears with a small _click_. She grinned, "Everybody has the same reaction. I don't even remember it. I have ADHD, too."

"Oh," Ritsuka wasn't sure what to think of what she was saying. How could she be so calm about something like that? "Do you want to go somewhere on Monday? I have to go now, but we can talk in school then."

"Okay! Say hi to Soubi for me!"

Ritsuka entered the hospital about an hour later due to getting lost. He hoped Soubi would be awake, but wasn't sure because it was the morning, and the doctors could still have him knocked out.

"Hello," The receptionist greeted in the lobby. Although it seemed like a good-sized hospital, he and the receptionist were the only people in the lobby. "Are you looking for something?"

"Yeah," Ritsuka told her, going straight for her desk. "Agatsuma Soubi."

"I'm sorry," She said automatically. "Kaidou Chouma-Sensei has given me an exclusive list of people who may see Agatsuma-Sensei. What's your name?" She looked down at her desk, probably reading the list.

"Aoyagi Ritsuka," Ritsuka answered, hoping he was on the list.

"Never mind, Aoyagi-san, please follow me to Agatsuma-Sensei's room," The woman got up, smoothed out her skirt and headed toward the elevator. Ritsuka followed her.

"Do you know anything about his condition?" Ritsuka prodded as the elevator went up. _Please, I need to know_, he silently begged. To describe worried as how Ritsuka was feeling would be an understatement.

"No, I am sorry, I do not," The elevator jerked to a stop at their floor and the receptionist lead the way with a cold silence.

Ritsuka fidgeted with his hands as they walked, unable to push certain thoughts out of his mind. _What if this is because of me? _Soubi had his second migraine attack shortly after he saw Ritsuka. Maybe it was because of him. _No that's impossible. _It had to be. There was no way Ritsuka could've caused it. It had to be just a coincidence.

_Then if I didn't cause it, what did? _Maybe Soubi was sick. Ritsuka remembered him often acting strangely at random times, such as the first day at the beach when he had suddenly froze and looked all around, or when he and Chouma had been examining Ritsuka and Soubi had had a headache and then passed out. It was highly possible that Soubi was sick somehow.

"Agatsuma-Sensei," The receptionist called into the room when they arrived, opening the door a little. "You have a visitor." She ushered Ritsuka in quickly and then left.

"Ritsuka," Soubi greeted warmly. He looked tired and bad all together. His face had multiple scratches and bandages on it, something Ritsuka hadn't noticed before. An IV ran through his hand and his eyes seemed a little blood-shot.

"Wh-what happened to your face?"

"That?" Soubi thoughtfully touched his face. "I got in a fight. Right before all this happened."

"A fight?" Ritsuka asked, going to his bedside.

"A patient lashed out at me. His name was Yu Watkins. He's probably in your class. Did you come to visit me?" Soubi guessed.

"Yeah. Here," Ritsuka pulled the thick envelope from his coat pocket and handed it to Soubi. Their fingers brushed for a moment, making Ritsuka blush and instantly pull away.

"Oh? What's this?" Soubi unsealed the envelope and took out the pictures, all fifty of them, looking at them one by one. He smiled as he did, probably remembering the day they took them. "Thank you, Ritsuka."

"Where are Chouma and Kio?" Ritsuka had noticed when he first walked in that the two were missing.

"Kio is at some appointments and I told Chouma to get me some food. We're probably going to be alone for a little. Could you hand me that paper and pencil from over there, please? Chouma took them away from me and said I should rest," Soubi laughed a little. "And I can't really walk."

Ritsuka retrieved the pad of paper and pencil and brought it to him, wondering what Soubi was going to do.

"I don't like hospitals much," Soubi stated, surprising Ritsuka as he began drawing.

"Why not?" Ritsuka asked, watching the doctor with interest. "You work in one."

Soubi continued sketching, occasionally glancing up at him, "Incorrect, dear Ritsuka. I work in an institution, not a hospital."

"I see," Ritsuka was suddenly reminded of his sector three quest. Soubi had left a message with Chouma telling him to come up to his office. For what? What had Soubi been planning to do before he had gotten hospitalized? "What's sector three?"

"Truthfully?" Soubi looked up at him with a dark expression. "It's where we put our crazies. I'll take you as soon as I get out of this hell."

"Why won't anybody say anything about it?" Ritsuka pressed further, happy to finally be getting _some _kind of information. _What could possibly be so bad that no one wants to say anything?_

"It's not that no one wants to talk," Soubi informed him softly. "It's that not many people have ever been to sector three. You have to have authorization and be accompanied by three or more board members, unless you're an orderly. Even then you have to have special permission. I was going to take you down there with Chouma and Kio."

They sat in silence for a moment before Ritsuka decided to say something, "Can I see what you're drawing?"

Soubi smiled at him again and handed the pad of paper to him, leaving Ritsuka staring at what looked like his twin.

"Wow!" Ritsuka said, his tail waging. "You're really good! Where'd you learn to draw like that?"

Soubi shrugged, "I'm self taught. So is Kio. We paint in our spare time. I attend art classes on my days off at the college. It's a good way to manage stress."

"This is amazing! Wait, didn't you go to college for psychology?" Ritsuka remembered that Soubi was only twenty. That didn't quite make sense, either. How could he be so young and be at the top of his career already?

"I double majored," Soubi informed him. "Psychology and art. I graduated with a master's in psychology."

"But how?" Ritsuka had been trying to work it out in his head. For Soubi to have a masters in psychology he would've had gone to college at around Ritsuka's age.

It's hard to explain, Ritsuka," Soubi sighed. "I've been studying psychology ever since they tested my IQ when I was five. I came here when I was four. The six of us on the board are some of the smartest people you'll ever meet. How did you think we were able to draw up such a program? This is the best institute in the country, maybe even the world."

Ritsuka's mind worked over it, trying to fit a few pieces into the million piece puzzle, "You're a…genius?"

Soubi closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the headboard, "Yes. My IQ gets tested every year. I was the top student here. Ritsu says my IQ rises by an average by ten points every year. As you can see," He opened his eyes a little and smirked. "Being a genius has some… side effects. For one I'm a complete jerk to people."

"Why did you come here when you were four?" Ritsuka pressed, happy to get to know a little about Soubi's past. "Were you sick?"

"No," Soubi seemed to tense up at the question. Maybe it was hard for him to answer; a wound that was still open. "My parents died. I had no relatives so Ritsu took me in. Kio and Chouma were the son and daughter of a woman who was on the board then. My mother had been on the board, too. They both died in the same car crash, along with my father."

Ritsuka was taken aback by the sadness in Soubi's voice. He couldn't imagine being parent-less. His mother may have beat him and his father may have never been home, but at least he had them. Soubi grew up raised by a stranger. Did he even remember his parents?

"I shouldn't have-"

"I know what you're going to say, Ritsuka," Soubi quickly cut him off. "And don't say it. There's no need to be sorry. I don't even remember them."

"It's still sad though. Can I ask you another question?" Ritsuka wanted to move on to a different topic.

"Go ahead."

"Why," Ritsuka tried to put the random words floating in his head into sentences. "Why do you treat me differently? And why did you say that you love me the day I came here?"

Soubi tensed up again as if debating on what to tell him. 'You don't want me to lie to you," He stated without any emotion in his voice. He wasn't even looking at Ritsuka. "But you're not going to like the truth. Can you handle the truth? I don't know if you can. What should I tell you? Should I tell you that your brother ordered me to love you and then knocked me out? Should I tell you that that's how I got the scars on my neck? That students have been-"

Ritsuka didn't want to hear it anymore. He shook slightly, tears filling his eyes. He had been lied to by someone he trusted. "No! Just shut up, you liar!"

"Ritsuka I shouldn't have…" Soubi's eyes softened as he seemingly realized what he'd done. _NO! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!_

"Go to hell!" Ritsuka yelled as he ran out of the room in tears.

* * *

Soubi stepped into the deserted street, confused. What the hell was going on? How'd he get there? He recognized none of his surroundings, not the buildings to his right or the large body of black swirling water on his other side. The sky was halfway between twilight and night, with the only streetlight on the entire old road flickering on and off a ways away from him.

The road was long, stretching past Soubi's line of sight. It was cracked and full of potholes, defining it as old. The breeze blew at Soubi's back, carrying a sung melody he thought he recognized.

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound," A voice sang softly, suddenly close. It was a woman's voice, so familiar, so very familiar. She was very close, but something made Soubi not pull away. He found that he couldn't move anyways. "That saved a wretch like me," He could feel her warm breath on the back of his neck. He could tell she had to stand on tip-toe to reach him. "I once was lost, but now am found," Her voice, her voice, that song. He knew it.

"Was blind, but now I see," Her voice hit a high note and her hands briefly played with his hair, and then draped over his shoulders, holding him closer. Soubi found himself unable to turn around and push her away or get a good look at her. "Do you believe in God, Soubi?"

"No, I don't," He answered, staring straight ahead. "But you already knew that." He didn't exactly know where that statement came from. He had thought it, but hadn't meant to say it.

"Yes," She breathed. "When did you stop believing?"

"After they died," He answered, feeling surprised that he couldn't stop his thoughts from being said. "How could I believe any more?"

"I've been watching you," She whispered into his ear, resting her head on his shoulder. "You've grown up so much. You're taller than me now," She laughed softly. "I didn't ever think that would happen. Oh, Soubi," Her voice broke, cracked with apparent sadness. "I am so sorry." She was crying, Soubi could feel her tears on his skin, both warm and cold at the same time.

Soubi had to fight back the temptation to hug her. He felt drawn to her. He knew her. He should recognize her. "Who are you?"

"Think, Soubi," She murmured, her arms wrapping tighter around him. "I know you're smart enough to figure it out. Who used to sing that song to you? I must leave now."

Soubi looked down at her arms as they began to fade.

"Just know that I never meant to leave you. And that I love you…" Her words disappeared. A million butterflies exploded from where her form had turned to ash. He turned around, watching them fly around him, trapping him in a vortex. She was gone, he was alone, and suddenly Soubi was falling, falling, falling.

* * *

**I HAVE RETURNED!**

**I'm sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. my beta had some trouble getting this to me because her docx isn't working right :(**

**My favorite part is that last 500 or so words. If anybody guesses who the woman is I will write you two requests and draw you a picture, but only if you guess it before I revel it.**

**Thanks for all the reviews!  
**

**Anyways, review, please, if you'd like more.**

**~Wolfie  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter ten**

**X**

When Soubi woke up, dawn was breaking, filtering in through the windows. _What's happening to me?_ He was sweating and hot as hell. The dream had been so vivid, he could almost still feel the woman's arms around him, could almost hear the melody she'd been singing.

There were a few moments of blankness before Soubi remembered what had happened with Ritsuka. Why the hell did he actually tell him about Seimei's dying wish? _Some genius I am_, Soubi thought angrily to himself. He had been angered by the memory of that last day, the day that Seimei had messed with him. Soubi reached up and traced the faint scars on his neck usually hidden by the collar of his shirt. Obviously something had been done to him on that day that was making him so sick now.

_I have to make up with Ritsuka before I can deal with anything else._ But how? For the first time in a long while, Soubi's head didn't feel fogged them. He could think faster and figure things out better with a clear mind. Ritsuka needed therapy, just not the kind Soubi usually gave to patients. He thought it was his fault that his mother constantly beat him. He needed to realize that she was insane.

The truth was that in the past few days, Soubi had grown to like Ritsuka. It wasn't because of what Seimei had said. He actually cared for the teen. He had to make it up to him. But first he needed to get himself out of this damn infirmary.

Ritsuka was distracted the entire time Yuiko showed him around the campus. His thoughts kept drifting back to Soubi and what had been said. It stung to know that Soubi didn't even care. How could he believe that liar or anything he said? Some things didn't add up, though.

If he really didn't care then why did he save him from his mother? Why would he risk his license just to keep Ritsuka away from her? If Ritsuka meant absolutely nothing to him, then why was there so much passion in that kiss in the alleyway? Nothing was making sense anymore…

Ritsuka was exhausted from the long day and flopped down on his bed as soon as he got to his dorm room. He closed his eyes, not even wanting to think of anything. There was a soft knock at the balcony doors. Ritsuka didn't look up, thinking he was hearing things.

"Can I come in?" in a deep voice asked quietly. The person outside slid the door open and stepped inside. It was Soubi. Of course, it was the person he wanted to see the least. Or… was it the person he wanted to see the most?

Ritsuka burrowed his head under his pillow with a growl of, "No."

He heard Soubi move across the room and felt the bed dip under his weight as he sat on it. "Can we talk?" He asked as he rubbed Ritsuka's back in slow motions.

"No," Ritsuka muttered. "Please, just go away. I want to be alone now."

"At least you didn't tell me to go to hell this time," Soubi said thoughtfully.

Ritsuka pulled his head out from under the pillow, seeing Soubi for the first time since running out of the hospital. He looked a lot better. His skin was still pale, but a healthier shade. He still had bandages on his face, except that didn't matter since they were from the fight he'd been in. His eyes had returned to their normal shade, too. He looked into those deep blue eyes, wishing that he had been less nasty to him

isnt"Ritsuka I'm sorry that I didn't explain earlier," Soubi frowned and glanced away for a second. He looked sad, as if he wanted to take it all back. "There's been a lot going on involving Seimei lately. A lot of it has affected me. I just sort of took it out on you."

"But it's true," Ritsuka tried to keep from snapping at him again. "You don't care about me at all. No one does. I have no friends. I'm not even Ritsuka. I probably deserve to get beaten like I do."

"Ritsuka," Soubi's gaze turned intense and his tone was serious and truthful. "I care about you. I've been abused all my life. I have no idea what love is. But I do know I care about you like I care about Kio or Chouma, probably more. I'll be here for you. I'm not doing this because I was told to anymore. I was at first, but not anymore, so please, do not say I don't care. And you do have other people who care about you. Chouma's really taken a liking to you. And there's that girl, Yuiko, weren't you just out with her?"

Ritsuka could hear the truth in Soubi's words. _How can someone care about me? _He wondered. "But I'm still not Ritsuka," He stated unhappily.

"You are, Ritsuka. You don't deserve what she does to you. You need to realize that there's nothing wrong with you. She's the insane one, not you."

"Don't talk about her like that!" Ritsuka cried, meaning it to sound angrier than it was. He glared at the doctor in rage, still hung over what Soubi told him earlier.

"Ritsuka," Soubi said his name softly after a moment. "I know you're still mad. I don't blame you. It's to be expected. Please listen to me though. Your mother hallucinates. She delusional and psychotic. I can diagnose her off of what you and Chouma told me. It's not that hard to see."

Ritsuka buried his face in his pillow again, not wanting to hear it. How could he believe anything Soubi said, anyway? He felt like crying, but refused to. No. Not in front of him.

He felt Soubi's arms wrap around his body, pulling him into a sitting position. Ritsuka still refused to even look at the doctor. Without any warning, Soubi leaned down, shocking Ritsuka when his lips met Ritsuka's. His eyes flew open at the sudden contact.

"Why do you do that?" Ritsuka demanded as Soubi broke it off before Ritsuka could push him away. Why, why, why did Soubi show him so much affection? Ritsuka pushed away the nagging notion that maybe he liked that. "It's illegal!"

"Because, Ritsuka," Soubi leaned in close again. "I like you," He whispered into his cat ear.

Ritsuka felt himself blushing and cursed his reaction. It wasn't just Soubi he pushed away whenever he closed the physical gap. He never let anyone get close to him. It was safer that way. If no one was close to him, Ritsuka wouldn't be hurt.

"I almost forgot," Soubi said after a moment, taking something out of his coat pocket. 'Take this," He pressed the object into Ritsuka's hands. Was it… a phone? Why, of all things, was he giving Ritsuka a phone? "It's a big campus," Soubi said sincerely. "And there's been some stuff going on lately that, out of all students, could very well affect you. If _anything_ ever happens, call me. My number is the first number programmed in. It's also the first on speed dial. I put a tracker in it so I'll always be able to know where you are."

Ritsuka's mind generated about a thousand questions. "What could be happening that could be so dangerous that you'd have to know where I am?" He asked franticly as Soubi got up, probably to leave.

Soubi turned back around, his expression suddenly dark, "Oh, Ritsuka, you have no idea."

"Wa-wait! Tell me!" Ritsuka grabbed his wrist, anxiously trying to make him tell him.

Soubi tilted Ritsuka's chin upwards, forcing him to look into his dark blue eyes, "It's better for you not to know. I'll tell you when the time is right." Soubi cringed abruptly, stepping back. "I'll see you tomorrow," He told him, quickly leaving.

Soubi stumbled into Chouma's unkempt underground office. He could feel it this time, feel it coming on. Chouma was sorting through what looked to be a six foot pile of papers. She had her floor cluttered with paper all over the place, piles here and there, some tall, other not. She glanced up at him, surprised.

"Drugs," Soubi breathed, unable to form correct sentences. "I need pain meds. I'm having another… attack."

Without a word, Chouma got up, racing to the bathroom, sending the stack of papers tumbling to the ground in the process. Soubi slumped against the door.

**My plans have begun, Soubi. I have complete control over you and I'm implanting my own board. There is nothing you can do to stop me.**

_Own…board? _Seimei's messages were becoming longer. What was different? It was beginning to hurt. Soubi's headache was quickly turning into a migraine. Chouma needed to hurry up.

"This is going to hurt," Chouma warned as she rushed back to him. "I need to hit a vein quickly." Soubi held out his hand, watching through half-closed eyes as she stabbed the back of his hand.

**If you let her do anything to your head I will-**

Seimei's voice cut off as the medication started to work. Soubi's head began to clear again, just as it had that morning. Soubi briefly wondered what sort of medication Chouma was using and why it worked so well.

"You're staying here tonight," Chouma ordered, reaching up and locking the door. "Unfortunately if I move you, I risk the IV coming out, so you're sleeping on the ground tonight, too. I'll be right back."

Ritsuka was fast asleep when he heard the soft knocking at his door. _…Soubi?_ He wondered if it was momentarily before a woman's voice softly called out his name, "Ritsuka? Open the door. Something's happened."

"Mom?" He guessed out of confusion. He was still half awake and unable to identify the voice. It was coming from the front door of his room, not from the balcony.

"No Ritsuka. Open the door," Ritsuka tiredly got up and unlocked the door, finding Chouma and Kio.

"What are you-?"

"Hush!" Chouma hissed, grabbing his wrist and pulling him down the hallway. "We aren't even supposed to be here." She ran down the hallway, her brother at her side, pulling Ritsuka behind her. She halted abruptly, whispering so quietly only Ritsuka could hear, "Get up against the wall and make it look real."

"…Kaidou-Sensei!" A man said from around the corner. It was the guard of the second floor. Ritsuka didn't know which sibling he was talking to, or how they were going to get out of this.

"Eh, hello," Kio responded. He had probably gone on ahead to confront the guard. "There seems to be a patient escaped from ward C here to see who he believes to be his girlfriend."

"What?" The guard responded, sounding shocked and scared. "Ward C? Holy shit!"

"Sir, if you would please refrain from cursing around here, please," Kio told him calmly. Ritsuka felt his hands being pulled behind his back by Chouma and something cold and mental being put on them. Handcuffs? _He_ was their escaped patient?

"Yes, Kaidou-Sensei, I apologize for my lack of control. I may say that you look a little weak to apprehend a ward C patient."

"It is not me doing it," Kio sounded a little annoyed. "Agatsuma-Sensei has already apprehended the criminal. We have apprehended the one who helped the escapee."

"That's our cue," Chouma whispered, pulling him away from the wall and giving him a gentle shove around the corner. 'I'm taking him in for questioning, come on Kio," Chouma growled, playing the part perfectly. Ritsuka decided to go along with it, too, and dragged his feat, shooting a glare and baring his teeth at the guard. He backed away, looking slightly afraid and allowed them to pass.

They passed by the first floor guards in the same way. Chouma finally took the handcuffs off when they were outside the building.

"What's going-!" Ritsuka started to ask, only to be interrupted by Chouma pulling on him again.

"Hurry up!" She called, running towards the main building. In the darkness Ritsuka could see nothing, due to the fact that there was no moon to light the sky. He could only pray Chouma wasn't going to let him run into anything. _What the hell is going on? _It had to be something important if it would cause Chouma and Kio to steal him away in the middle of the night.

"Hey!" A voice called. Chouma and Kio stopped, causing Ritsuka to trip and fall to the ground. Two flashlights appeared through the darkness, held by a teal haired boy and a crimson haired one.

"Oh," The crimson haired one, Natsou, said upon seeing who it was.

"What an odd combination," Youji commented with a laugh. "What are the three of you doing out here this late?"

"Aren't you two supposed to be under protection?" Kio countered. "Soubi ordered someone to be with you at all times."

Youji pouted, "Midori was with us but he had to go scare off a boy and a girl he found sneaking out together."

"We're on Septimal Moon business," Chouma said, casting a glance at the not far away main building. "We have to hurry." They were off again. They reached the main building soon, just when Ritsuka thought he was going to puke from running too much.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kio asked, blocking Chouma from going through the doors.  
"Yes!" She snapped. Her tone softened as she spoke again, "He deserves to know the truth."

"The…truth…?" Ritsuka didn't know what else to say about that. What truth? What the fuck was going on?

"Come on," Kio went in first and lead Ritsuka down the hallway and up to the seventh floor. He stopped again at two large oak doors. Chouma went ahead in. Ritsuka could hear her shout something that sounded like "I told you not to come!" to someone inside.

"We brought you to a Septimal Moon meeting," Kio informed him. "What you're going to hear in there is the truth and is probably something you don't want to hear, but it's all true."

"Goddammit!" Seimei yelled, slamming his hands on the control board. A large pair of headphones rested on his ears, transmitting from the Septimal Moon meeting. Nisei was wearing both an audio and a visual bug, but he wasn't able to talk directly to him in the meeting. Static blared from the speakers on the control board and three out of the five screens weren't transmitting anything and a red light on the panel blinked on and off franticly.

"What is it, Seimei?" Nakahira asked from him. The caretaker stood a safe distance away from him. _I've never seen him like this…_ Nakahira stepped back, in case Seimei decided to rage at him.

Seimei abruptly turned around, his violet eyes almost black and glaring at him. Instead of speaking to Nakahira, he spoke into the microphone attached to the headset, "That bitch gave Soubi something that disables the transmitter and reader!"

"What does that mean?" Nakahira calmly requested his mind working. Now was the time. Seimei was weak now and wouldn't see it coming. He had to execute the plan now, or never. This was going to be his first and last chance. He closed his eyes, recalling the map from his photographic memory, remembering every label on the underground system.

Seimei was glaring at him still, and took a step towards him. "It _means_," He growled. "That Chouma knows and she's going to do everything she can to stop it. Nisei," He spoke into the microphone again. "I want you to find whatever she gave him and I want you to destroy every bit of it. You," He turned back to Nakahira. "Get the hell out of here."

"Yes, Seimei," Nakahira obeyed, praying it'd be last time he would have to say those words to him like some sort of dog. He headed out the door, taking the route that he had followed many times further underground into the tunnels.

"I told you not to come!" Chouma yelled at Soubi as she entered the conference room. "You idiot!"

"I came anyways," Soubi growled. Chouma had told him not to even try to come to the meeting, but Soubi, being his stubborn self, had refused to be absent without leave. He knew what they were going to be discussing, it was no surprise for him, and he needed to be there for it.

Everyone else except for Kio and Ritsu were already. It came as a completely shock when Kio walked through the door with a nervous looking Ritsuka at his side.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Soubi yelled at Kio and Chouma, the two who he was sure were responsible for it.

"He needs to know the truth!" Chouma barked back at him angrily.

_The truth? Ritsuka needs to know that his own brother was a manipulative, murdering sadist? _"He can't handle the truth!" Soubi yelled back at her. He honestly didn't think Ritsuka would be able to take the truth of his brother. From what he knew, Seimei was loving and caring towards Ritsuka. "As his doctor I am telling you he'll break if he hears this!"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Ritsuka shouted suddenly, silencing Soubi and Chouma's angry argument. "This is obviously something that has to do with me," He continued. "And I need to hear it, since I apparently don't already know the 'truth'."

"We need him, anyways," A voice said from behind them. Ritsu came in; locking the doors behind him, and carry a large stack of files. A man was behind him, a man Soubi knew he should recognize but didn't.

"Who are you?" Ritsuka asked Ritsu.

"And who is that?" Chouma stared at the tall soft-faced black haired man behind Ritsu. He smiled at her and waved a little.

_Where do I know him from?_ Soubi wondered to himself. He tried again and again to remember but felt like he was hitting a road block every time. _I know he's not as innocent as he looks…_

"This is Aoyagi Ritsuka?" Ritsu questioned, glancing down at Ritsuka, who stood directly in front of him. "He looks like his brother…"

"You knew Seimei?" Ritsuka's voice seemed unusually high compared to everyone else's.

Ritsu smiled solemnly at him, "Everyone here did, little one. Except, of course, our newest member." Soubi had the urge to reach out and pull Ritsuka away from preying Ritsu.

"Member?" Chouma repeated. "You mean…him?" She pointed to the familiar man.

"Yes," Ritsu answered, taking his seat at the head of the table. "Everyone, this is Akame Nisei. He is taking Aoyagi Seimei's place as the psychosurgeon on the board. Since we do almost no psychosurgeries here, he is also going to be working in ward C to come up with new programs to heal and discipline. We have already done his tests and he proves to have adequate intelligence. His initiation is complete. Please take your seat, Nisei-kun."

Nisei sat in the empty chair next to Soubi and caught his eyes for a moment, flashing him a dark half-smile. Something about him made Soubi suddenly want to kill him on the spot.

Ritsuka stood beside Soubi still looking nervous, but more anxious now. He kept fidgeting with his hands, his violet eyes clouded over.

"We are here to talk about Aoyagi Seimei," Ritsu announced, picking up a file out of the stack and opening it to flip through it. "Ritsuka-kun, would you care to tell us about what you and your brother did?"

"Ritsu-sensei," Seven said calmly. "It's my job to ask Ritsuka the questions."

"Yes, it is," Ritsu agreed. "Go on."

"I'm Seven," She told Ritsuka. "Our job is to gather information about Seimei. We need to know about everything you and Seimei did."

"Is this a trick question? Don't you already know about Seimei?" Ritsuka asked curiously. Without waiting for an answer, he went on, "I-I hardly ever saw him asleep. He always woke up before me and went to bed right after me. Seimei did everything my mother wouldn't. Anything I didn't know, he taught me. He woke me up in the mornings, walked me to school, made meals for me, and protected me.

"Seimei's hands were large and warm. It was a little embarrassing for me, but he liked to hold my hand when we walked. He wasn't like other kids' brothers. He always played with me, no matter what.

"We had separate rooms, but we were always together. I always slept in Seimei's bed. He always was busy during the night time, but he always found the time to kiss me goodnight and tuck me in. He slept with me; I could feel him there during the night. Mother was much better when Seimei was around. He always protected me from her.

"He'd take me to the hospital when she beat me badly enough, but usually he'd just bandage me himself. He always told me to run to him if she started up again. I was much better when Seimei was around. I was never lonely. He was always there for me. That is, until he got his job here."

_Ritsuka's Seimei…was a caring older brother._ Seimei wasn't just one person. He had many different personalities. The one Soubi saw was different from the one the other council members or Ritsuka saw. The Seimei the other council members saw was different from the one Soubi or Ritsuka saw.

"No," Seven shook her head. "That wasn't Seimei. He was extremely obsessive compulsive. He wouldn't let anyone touch him, let alone sleep in the same bed as someone. He wouldn't even eat in the same room as any of us. He was calm and gentle, sure, but that isn't normal either. If you asked Soubi his Seimei would be different, too." Ritsuka looked at Soubi, probably wondering who 'his Seimei' was.

"So which one?" Nagisa added from beside her. "Which one is the real Seimei?"

"Why are you asking me this?" Ritsuka demanded from them, sounding desperate. "Seimei's dead. Isn't he?" No one said anything, causing Ritsuka to get even more desperate. "Isn't he?"

"No Ritsuka," Kio finally answered him, trying not to hurt Ritsuka. "Seimei is most certainly not dead."

"Wh-what?" Ritsuka breathed hard. Soubi wanted to find a way to comfort him, but couldn't. Kio and Chouma were right, Ritsuka needed to hear this. "I went to the funeral! It had to be Seimei! It-it had to be! _If he wasn't dead, why hasn't he come back yet_?"

"We were going to arrest him," Ritsu said coldly. "He was doing things he shouldn't have. He was our head psychosurgeon. Many of his patients died. He murdered them, Ritsuka. He experimented on them. He murdered others, too, the ones that found out. We never figured out it was him until recently."

Ritsuka was shaking again, having bad tremors. "Ritsuka," Soubi murmured.

"Seimei would never hurt anybody!" Ritsuka yelled, on the verge of tears. "He would never do that stuff!"

"You want pictures?" Ritsu reached into the file in front of him, pulling out photos and slid them across the table to Ritsuka. They were the crime scene photos, ones of the bodies bloodied and mutilated. "Your brother did those. He's alive. He faked his death and he's been kidnapping and killing students from here. And from what we've gathered from what you told us, his final target is you. Face it-!"

"Stop it!" Ritsuka screamed, plugging his ears. "Shut the hell up!"

"Face it, Ritsuka, he's alive. Do you remember Ai? Midori came straight to me with the story of what happened. You saw what happened to her. She was here originally because her parents abused her. She was perfectly fine. Then she was taken by Seimei and she came back with her brain screwed up. Nobody can figure out what's wrong with her."

Soubi had had enough. He reached out, taking Ritsuka protectively in his arms. He glared at Ritsu, "You've gone to far this time." He walked out of a meeting for the first time since being electing on the council, a sobbing Ritsuka at his side.

* * *

Another chapter~!

I love writing this! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews!

Oh most of what Ritsuka said in the meeting is taken directly from his thoughts and dialouge in the fifth volume of the manga. I tried to re-word it to make it less confusing and relate it to this story.

Review if you like it and want more!

~Wolfie


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